A Dangerous Enterprise
by timexgone23
Summary: Sly/OC: A bet with Bentley gets slightly out of control when dealing with a Marine's daughter and now she's stuck going along with the motely crew that is known as the Cooper Gang to hunt down Clockwerk Parts. But secrets tend to unravel under pressure.
1. The Bet

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard, Nathan Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone and welcome to the first chapter of my Sly Cooper fiction. This is just something fun I decided to write recently and it's something that I've been working on when not working on _Chantey I: Songs of the Sea_ my Pirates of the Caribbean fiction (Will/OC paring if you wanna check it out). Like I've been saying all over the place - Reviews are welcome but not necessary for me to update :) Go ahead and leave me your thoughts good and bad :D

xoxo  
timexgone23

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
01_

Jenna sighed as she brushed her long ashy brown hair, tying it back into a long side braid and fixing her dark grey baseball cap on her head. Her bangs whipped wildly despite the amount of time she had spent on it in an attempt to tame it any, however, being a wolf made this extremely difficult. Not only did her mane not want to cooperate on a daily basis, but it was thick and tangled very easily, leaving the eighteen year old to attempt to solve her appearance issues with the use of accessories (normally being fedoras or baseball caps).

Adjusting the duffle bag over her shoulder she looked around her room in search of anything she could be missing for her long trip.

Her father, for the first time, was allowing her to travel overseas to see her recently married cousin and Jenna did not want to forget anything in fear of prices being expensive and the whole point of the trip was to prove she was responsible enough without her father's assistance – or her cousin's for that matter. Her lips twitched into an excited smile and exposing her long canines, her ears perking and her tail, embarrassingly enough, wagging. Satisfied that she had left nothing behind she hoisted her other bag onto her shoulder that held her personal items.

"Jenna you ready?"

The wolf huffed softly, her nostrils flaring with her annoyance. "Yeah, be down in a second dad." Ever since her mother had mysteriously disappeared years ago her father had been stifling and his normally well hidden temper was much more frequent. Jenna was far from naïve and even farther from insensitive. She knew her father was hiding something from her and she didn't need to be a genius in order to figure it out. She was almost positive he knew what had happened to her mother, but in fear of angering the older wolf she rarely questioned him about it. "Hey dad, have you seen my phone?" She inquired, feeling around her loose pockets in search for the mobile device to see the smooth iPhone in her father's outstretched hand.

"You really need to be more careful there kid." Jenna rolled her eyes mirthfully.

"I know, I know…kinda like how if my head wasn't attached to my shoulders I'd forget it somewhere right?" When a smile broke out on her father's lips she smirked. "I've made sure it's glued on for this trip specifically."

"Good thing to know." Her father chuckled. "I was worried for a bit there."

Jenna took the phone from her father's hand and tucked it into her pocket and zipping it back up, thankful that she had chosen to wear her loose harem pants. Her father had never approved of her dress; being a dancer and gymnast she tended to dress as such, wearing hip hop pants (like her harem pants) on a daily basis and graphic tees like she currently wore.

Her father appraised her disapprovingly and Jenna rolled her eyes. She wore a black scoop tee with white hand prints dripping down the front of her shirt as if they had been smeared, a white jacket over top of it and grey harem pants and her mid-shin high combat boots, her hat turned slightly sideways. She had never dressed like a hoodlum on purpose, but since her father had so kindly classified her as such she obliged him with a reason.

"Okay dad, we can stop looking at me like the hoods you bust downtown and head to the airport now." Jenna sighed as she shifted her bag. Her father was a well known cop around the city of Bridgewater, Massachusetts and a well respected one at that. He had been a drill sergeant for the Marines, of which trickled into his private life, no matter how much he denied it, but regardless took a lot of his time that he had free to teach his daughter martial arts, owning a small dojo downtown. Rolling his eyes he followed his daughter out to his squad car having decided that he was going to be dropping her off at the airport before going to work.

Jenna and her father agreed that she would take the first flight out to Egypt so that he wouldn't have to take off of work and so she wouldn't have any issues with getting on her flight. The car ride was far from awkward as the two chatted, the captain lecturing his daughter about safety procedures and his daughter returning his concerns sarcastically. Finally her father frowned.

"I'm serious Jenna. If at any time you feel uncomfortable I want you to call and I'll have you on the first flight back."

"Dad, seriously, Melissa, Tauwn and I will be fine." She sighed. "I know what I have to do dad, don't worry. If anything goes wrong and I start feeling weird I'll get out of there okay?" When her father sighed she knew she had won. "You'll be the first to know if anything goes wrong too."

"That sounds like a fair deal." He sighed. "Just be careful okay?"

"I promise dad…but let's save the sappy goodbyes for the airport." Jenna laughed, "We'll have plenty of time then."

"Too true."

True to his word, her father had restated the entire conversation during the car ride and Jenna sighed heavily. "Dad, I got this…"

"Okay…" He sighed, running a hand through his jet black hair, his fur peppered white with his age. After a few moments he reached into his back pocket of his uniform and pulled out a pocket watch looped through a long chain. "At least take this with you…it belonged to your mother and I feel as if you're old enough now. Just remember if anything happens contact me okay?"

Jenna took the watch from her father, and unclasped the smooth silver chain and turned so that her father could clasp the chain around her neck. The watch fell to the center of her chest and for some reason the wolf felt as if there was something her father was not telling her. Frowning softly she opened the watch to notice that there was a picture of the four of them: her parents and her brother, of whom had moved overseas to be an international cop. Flipping it over to look at the cover she noticed there was a Coat of Arms engraved into the silver face. It had two lions centered in the shield, their paws crossing and a knight's head over top of the shield. Jenna's suspicion peeked as she looked at her father, noticing him to be staring at the watch as if it was some untold secret.

"Why…are you giving me this now dad?" The older canine sighed softly, his nostrils flaring.

"I felt as if it was the necessary time to give it to you sweet heart…just keep it safe." Jenna nodded slowly and tucked it into her shirt before shuffling her feet awkwardly. "Well you better get goin' kid. Your plane is going to be leaving in an hour and you still need to check your baggage and go through security."

A pang hit the wolf's heart as she realized her father was right, but something told her that this would be the last time she would be seeing her father for a very long time and it disturbed her. She dropped her duffle bag and threw herself into his arms, no longer caring for the "he treats you like garbage just turn around and leave" attitude that the she-wolf tended to carry about her father and sighed into his dark fur. She had nothing in common with her father physically, only her breed, and now that she was leaving she felt as if she had cheated herself of an amazing relationship with him. She couldn't say that she didn't love him, she did, however, she felt as if she had not appreciated him at all and with a swallowed breath she sniffled.

"I love you dad."

Her father was silent for a few moments, having returned his daughter's embrace as tightly as she had captured him, before nodding against her cheek. "I love you too kiddo."

Pulling away Jenna quickly wiped her watering eyes and snorted a watery laugh as her father coughed back a choke of his own, trying to compose himself as the tough cop and drill sergeant he was known as. "I won't dad…see you in four months."

Her father didn't reply, but the feeling she had had before returned full force as his eyes flashed with an emotion contradictory to his smile. "See you then kid."

Jenna waved awkwardly and walked away from her father, checking her bag and making her way to the security line. Having no incidences she found herself sitting in the platform where her plane would be leaving from and she sighed as the headphones in her ears poured out her mixed album which consisted of her dance mixes and just traveling music in general. She was no stranger to travel, having to do so for dance competitions as well as gymnastics, but for some reason this time felt different.

Jenna couldn't explain or place the feeling in her chest, but she knew that this summer was going to be unlike any other summer she had ever had. After completing her first year of college, the wolf felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but it only meant that she had to prepare herself for her next year of classes, all of which would broaden her mind and challenge her, but never seemed to. Jenna was a 4.0 student when she actually applied herself, but finding herself to be quite lazy as far as effort was concerned had left her with a 2.7 grade point average, just enough to allow her to compete on her university's gymnastics team.

As her flight was called, the grey wolf made her way to the dock and handing her ticket to the attendant to scan before she was allowed in. Jenna could only hope that the plane ride would be smooth, but given that she had to sit in one spot for more than five hours already had her dreading the flight. Placing herself near the window, as her ticket assigned her, she placed her carry on the floor at her feet, content with utilizing her iPhone until the attendants made her put it away.

Leaning her head back against the seat she allowed the beats of Miss Elliott's music to pump through the ear buds. _Please let this be a nice and quiet flight…_She winced as a baby's cry pierced her sensitive ears and she sighed, her brows furrowing tightly with her scowl and the flattening of her ears against her skull, her scowl only deepening as an older elephant and her husband squeezed themselves into the seat next to her and pushing her into the side of the plane uncomfortably. _Of course not..._

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"Sly were you listening to _anything _I just said?"

The addressed raccoon looked up from where he was lounging on the couch, his tail twitching slightly. His hat hung loosely over his tawny brown eyes as he looked at his best friend since childhood. Bentley was almost three years older than his nineteen, Murray another two on top of that and making the raccoon the youngest of the group. The turtle's eyebrow rose over the frame of his large spectacle as he awaited the younger male's answer.

"Sorry Bentley," Sly admitted with a chuckle that he thought felt weird from where he laid on his stomach on the couch, his chin propped on the armrest, "I've been trying to ignore you the last twenty minutes." The mischievous mirth did not go unnoticed to the turtle and he almost laughed at his friend's indignant sigh.

"Since you appear to have such a _short_ attention span, allow me to sum what I've been talking about in a sentence…" Sly's brow quirked in mirth as his friend narrowed his eyes at him. "The Museum of Natural History transferred the Clockwerk parts to it's sister museum in Cairo, Egypt." This had caught the raccoon's attention and he pushed his hat up and was sitting on the couch upright all in one movement that did not surprise the turtle.

"We need to destroy those parts."

"My sentiments exactly," The turtle agreed. "As soon as Murray gets back from shopping we'll start packing the van…those groceries will last until we get back…I anticipate that it won't be longer than a three day stake out."

Sly nodded his head in agreement, rolling his shoulders before taking his hat off of his head and running his hand through his short and unkempt hair. It was very rare for the raccoon to wear his hat while in the safe house, but today had been different. Why, Sly didn't even know, but he had the urge to wear his father's hat for the duration of the day and even as he had attempted to doze off on the couch. The raccoon stood and stretched, cracking his back with the movement, before walking over to where his amphibious friend sat at his computers, typing furiously across the keyboard and looking up more information about the exhibit in Cairo.

The raccoon frowned deeply as his thoughts drifted back to the severity of which Bentley spoke. Normally he found himself only half listening to what the turtle said of recent standards with the exception for briefings and while on heists themselves, but with the subject matter being his family's arch nemesis and the bane of the coon's existence he couldn't help the fear that had begun to creep back into his heart. When the turtle waved him off for the third time, Sly backed away from the monitors, having bothered his friend with his twitching.

"One too many shots of voltage?"

Sly didn't need to be a genius or a master thief to decipher what his friend was hinting at and almost as if responding to the comment his tail twitched involuntarily. It had been something the normally confident raccoon had become very self conscious of over the last year and a half. A frown twitched at his lips in response. However, the turtle did not need a reply as he threw a smirk of his own over his shoulder.

"Sorry buddy, I'm just teasing you."

Sly rolled his eyes, "Yeah whatever Bentley." The turtle could tell by his tone that the raccoon had not taken his bout offensively, despite the nonchalance that had taken up his friend's husky voice. "Just wait until you got your eyes on a girl…"

"I'll have you know," the turtle countered, "I have had my eyes on a few girls…just none of them are smart enough to hold a conversation with me." The raccoon sucked his teeth loudly in a "tsking" sound.

"Now Bentley that's not very nice…that ferret was cute! What was her name…?" Sly trailed off as he attempted to remember his friend's last seeming love interest.

"Clarissa," He answered monotonously, "And she had a thing for you."

Sly's brow quirked underneath his hat at Bentley's deadpanned voice before rubbing the back of his head. "Oh...sorry pal."

"It's nothing," He sighed loudly, his fingers flying over the keys of his laptop. "Besides, you wouldn't know a girl hitting on you unless she was Latin, held a badge, shock pistol and let ya see a lot of cleavage."

"Now that's not nice." Sly deadpanned, though amusement was in his tone. "I've resigned myself to the fact that flirting is all I'll ever get out of Carmelita." The raccoon admitted. "And do you really think so little of me pal?"

"Nah," The turtle replied with a snort, "I do, however, think your priorities are a little skewered, but that's neither here nor there."

Sly laughed. "I'm sure if the right girl came along I'd see what would happen." Bentley stopped typing for a few moments to look at his taller friend. Sly was far from bad looking, in fact, he was quite handsome when he put effort into impressing someone. It didn't go unnoticed to the turtle that, even when he was in disguise, he would manage to catch a female's eye.

"Would you like to put a wager on that?"

It was now the raccoon's turn to raise an eyebrow in challenge to his friend. "You know I can't turn down a challenge Bentley…I've beaten you three out of five times already."

"That you have," The turtle agreed with a growing smile.

"Okay, so what's the bet?"

"The bet is, that when we get to Cairo you have to at least ask out one girl that doesn't look like Carmelita."

"That's it Bentley?" The raccoon asked skeptically as he leaned on the island in their kitchen that separated himself from where the turtle sat. "That seems a little too easy."

"True, true," Bentley agreed once more, his smile turning wicked. "Here's the catch though, if she humors you for more than five minutes you get the front seat in the van for the ride home with the parts…" Sly's eyebrow quirked in amusement.

"And if this girl happens to walk away from me before those five minutes are up?"

"You sit in the back for the entire trip."

The raccoon winced at the connotation that had arisen. Neither one of them enjoyed sitting in the back of the car, but given that neither one of them knew how to drive (let alone a stick shift) they had to constantly trade off. After a few moments of consideration the raccoon nodded his head, a smirk twitching at his lips.

"Fine, you're on."

Bentley only smiled in response. It was true Sly normally one-upped him when it came to bets like this, but something in his gut told him that he was going to win this bet. _Front seat…here comes Bentley!_

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So what'cha think? Reviews are lovely and appreciated! ^.~


	2. Illusive Introductions

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with electro-blasters o.O;

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**Author's Note**: Hey there everyone. Welcome to chapter two :) To anyone who is reading my _Chantey I: Songs of the Sea _story, I'm sorry – I've been having the worst case of writers block known to man and decided to write this just to keep working on something :P Anyways, it's been a pain in the ass trying to go back and edit this story when I wrote it so long ago (I wrote this when I was 13 and then had it sitting on my computer for like…EVER) and never finished -_- no bueno. Anywho, I hope you enjoy chapter two!

A special thanks to my reviewers for chapter one: _Razor of DOOM, Papercut, GraNNIeShufflez03, boona _and _Silver Levi:_

_Razor of DOOM and Papercut: _I just decided to put yours together since you both wrote the same thing lol :) Anyways, when I had originally edited the chapter I must have missed that. Thanks for the clarification and I hope you enjoy chapter 2 :)  
_GraNNIeShufflez03: _Haha, thanks chica :D I decided to have a little bit of fun with this story in general – and you really need to play this series the fourth one is supposed to come out sometime in December and it looks EPIC! And time will tell ;) Thanks so much for the review ^3^

_boona: _Thanks! And thanks for taking the time out to review :D I hope you enjoy the next chapter :D

_Silver Levi: _Haha thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and thank you for your review!

Anyway I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and remember, reviews are appreciated, but not mandatory for an update ;D

xoxo  
timexgone23

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
02_

"Where the _hell_ is my duffle bag?" Jenna grumbled to herself as she scanned the carousel that was bringing the luggage from her plane into the airport. Normally the wolf was not impatient, but she had quite literally been sat on the entire flight by the two elephants she had to share a seat with. Normally she wouldn't have minded if it was a bearable length of time, but she had flown over fourteen hours and she was not happy. Grumbling under her breath she sighed as her duffle bag came into view and she snatched it before walking to the exit.

Her cousin was going to be picking her up from the airport with her new husband, the two having to move because of his job, and Jenna hadn't seen them since the wedding. Sighing she brushed her wild bangs from her eyes and looked around. Wolves were gifted with great eyesight and Jenna was no exception to that. Glancing around the cars gathered once more she finally saw her cousin-in-law standing next to his car with a sign that had her name written on it. Smiling she jogged over and hugged the large canine.

"Good to see ya made it kid."

"Shut up Tauwn." Jenna smirked as she pulled away from him and smacking his arm. "Did Mel come with you?"

"She had to work." The black lab sighed as he ran a hand through his short hair. "So it's just you and me for a bit."

"I suppose that'll suffice." The wolf smirked as the lab rolled his eyes.

"You don't really have a choice."

Jenna laughed as she tucked herself into her cousin-in-law's truck, sitting her duffle bag on the floor between her feet. "Sure I do," came her fast counter. "I could be like any other teenager my age and lock myself in my room as soon as we get back to your place."

"While that is true, you're in my house." Tauwn pointed out as he drove up the highway. "Smartass."

"Hey, you're a part of the family now…you don't have much of a choice but to put up with my smart ass."

Tauwn rolled his eyes with a laugh, "Oh dear lord help me."

"You should have asked for that _long_ before marrying my cousin." Jenna chuckled at his disgruntled look. The wolf had known her cousin's husband since she was very young, the two having been friends when they were little and soon developed feelings for one another. Tauwn and Melissa had been together with no break ups since their freshman year of high school.

Brushing her bangs from her face, Jenna looked out of her window to see the scenery of Egypt passing her by. Just before coming on this trip she and her boyfriend had broken up because she had found the rooster with another chick. _Stupid cock._

(**A/N:** Did anyone catch what I just did there? xD)

With a deep sigh she leaned her head on her arm; the wind whipping passed her from the open window. She would never admit out loud that she was jealous of the relationship that her cousin and her husband had. They were close, anyone could tell that from miles away, but even through all of their rough patches they had managed to still be together. _I hope I turn out like them someday…_

"You're awfully quite over there…" Tauwn observed from the corner of his eye and the wolf sighed. Nothing she did ever did go without the lab noticing. "Something up?"

"You could say that." The wolf sighed softly, removing her hat so that the wind wouldn't take it out of the window. Tauwn only frowned, taking in her almost depressed appearance before his ears perked up with realization.

"It's about Jacob isn't it?" When Jenna snorted disdainfully, Tauwn knew immediately that that was what was bothering her. "You caught him didn't you?"

"Stupid rooster is lucky I didn't pluck every feather off of him and that chick…or put them in the oven for a two course meal for that matter."

Tauwn stared at his wife's cousin before laughing. "I doubt you'd want to eat a rooster…they're too tough." A smitten look soon crossed his face as he eyed his cousin playfully. "Unless you've already gotten a taste…" A laugh roared from his throat as Jenna turned sharply in her seat, her eyes wide and expressing her surprise at the proposed statement before punching him as hard as she could in the arm. "Seems you need a little work there kid…"

"We are not going to talk about my sex life!" Jenna roared in abhorring, completely taken off guard by the first comment. "Jake and I never _did_ anything."

"I bet with a beak as big as his it would've been awkward anyway."

Jenna didn't know if her eyes could get any wider in fear of her eyeballs popping from their sockets. "Tauwn that is _gross_!"

"I was referring to kissing actually." The lab smirked. "Unless there's something else you'd like to share."

"I can't believe you just said that…" The lab laughed at his cousin's befuddlement, his dark brown eyes twinkling with mischief. It was this that made the two so close and what had allowed the wolf to accept the lab into the family. Tauwn took care of her more than she could say her own brother did. "Seriously…you never cease to amaze me."

"That's why you love me so much."

"Pftt, don't be getting such a big head." Jenna laughed. "You're the bane of my existence."

"Aw now that hurts Jen." Tauwn chuckled, "But in my own defense you're the reason I have grey hairs coming in."

"You're just old."

Tauwn shook his head as the younger canine laughed, turning his iPod on and searching for a song. When she found the one she was looking for she grinned and pressed play. Jenna and Tauwn had a love for music and shared many likes in genres and it was the black lab who had inspired her love for dance. Everything Jenna knew about hip hop came from Tauwn, who had started his career off as a dance teacher in order to make some extra money in high school and college.

She grinned as Iron Maiden pulsed through the speakers. Tauwn cast the younger canine a side glance. He had known her since she was very young, the wolf being at least six at the time, but no matter how much he knew her she never ceased to amaze him with the different things she took interest in.

He remembered when she was that age she had taken a very strong interest in cars and mechanics, the young wolf watching everything that he and her father did with keen senses. As she grew she became entranced with dancing, having a mind for mechanics the body and the way it moved to the beat of music became very appealing to her and so Tauwn had taught her what he knew. Soon after, she had gotten into gymnastics and martial arts; upon her father's insisting. He smiled fondly as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, the teen besides him bobbing her head to the classic music and drumming on her thighs as if they were drums themselves. Jenna had grown to be a wonderful person with a big heart and a broad horizon of talents that aided her.

"Hey Tauwn?"

The labrador shook his head of the thoughts and he turned his eyes to the brown haired teen. "What's up kid?"

Jenna sighed softly as the lab passed by a museum. "Could we go there sometime this week?"

"To the museum?" Jenna nodded slowly and the lab smiled. "I don't see why not. Melissa wanted to take you out this weekend anyway, see if she'll let ya go. But I can tell you this," The wolf quirked her brow as the lab paused, appraising her outfit with his chocolate eyes as he pulled the truck to a stop at a light. "If you dress like that while you're here the entire time, Melissa's going to have a heart attack."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "She'll get over it 'cause there's no way in hell I'm dressing like she does."

"We'll see."

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"I am _not _wearing that."

Melissa sighed heavily, moving the clothes down out of her face and glaring at her younger cousin. The husky rolled her eyes, her black hair tumbling down her back in a low ponytail underneath her whicker hat. She wore a pair of jean shorts and a loose tank that curtained her thin frame quite nicely, the Hercules sandals giving her the look she was going for, however, Jenna was not having her fashionable cousin's antics.

"Jenna, the low here is at least ninety-eight. You wear that you're going to die of heat stroke." The husky informed her younger cousin, her trimmed brow quirking when Jenna looked down at her own attire. The wolf was clad in a black scoop tee and a pair of matching parachute pants with strings hanging from the pockets, her hair left to do as it would from the low messy bun she had tied it in and a pair of sneakers on her feet.

"I seriously don't see how this is bad." Jenna frowned, her ears flattening against her skull as she looked at the outfit Melissa had picked out for her. "And I will not wear that."

Melissa shrugged, the canine sighing through her nose. "Alright, you don't wear this we don't go to the museum."

"Are you seriously threatening the _one _thing I want to see?" When Melissa nodded, Jenna growled lowly in her throat before snatching the clothes from her cousin and storming back into the other room to change, her cousin's smirk not going unnoticed to the teen.

It had been a three weeks since Jenna had been staying with her cousin and already she was ready to rip her hair out of her skull. She loved Melissa, but her constant nagging about her clothes was beginning to get extremely old. The only thing that had managed to keep her sane the last week was the basement where Tauwn had built a small work out area for him to practice either his own martial arts or his dance and the wolf had been using it in all of her free time when her cousin wasn't dragging her around Cairo.

Jenna sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror and frowned as she didn't recognize herself. She was now wearing a pair of white shorts with a white and blue pinstriped peasant shirt, the sleeves ending at her forearms and clipped to stay in place. Growling to herself in frustration she undid the first few buttons of the shirt to give her breathing room. She had never liked anything close to her neck and the addition of her outfit only added to her discomfort. She stared at the shirt for a while before pulling it back over her head and replacing it with a loose black tank top, the fabric see-through and exposing the black tank she wore underneath. She tucked the end of the shirt into her shorts and had pulled on black belt to match the straw fedora on her head and the black FALLEN high top sneakers she had on her feet.

Sighing she loosened the bun at the nape of her neck and making it look a little messier, given that her hair never exactly looked neat anyway and her bangs whipping out from underneath the fedora.

Stepping out of the room she looked at her cousin with a quirked brow. "There can we go now?" Melissa smirked, placing her finger on her chin in thought as she circled her cousin before nodding to herself.

"Yep we can go."

Jenna rolled her eyes as she slung her bag over her shoulder, shooting a smug Tauwn a dirty look as she followed her cousin out of their small house. The two girls made their way into town as Melissa was an avid shopper and would settle for nothing less of a day spent with her cousin. As they drove the husky smiled widely, her music pouring through the speakers as she sang along with the words. The wolf only rolled her eyes.

"And you're supposed to be married?"

"Hey," Melissa laughed, "I'm still only twenty-seven! It doesn't mean I'm old or anything!"

Jenna only smiled in response, allowing Mumford and Sons to wash through her system. She was very diverse in her music and was rarely bothered by any genre, however, her least favorite was blues. She looked over at her cousin and sighed. Melissa was always incredibly attractive and with her job she was able to afford large shopping trips like the one they were currently on. Being a doctor in a country that was in serious demand of medical assistance certainly helped, and with Tauwn being head of security of the Museum of Natural History made it all the better for their livelihood.

The husky was from her mother's side of the family – with gorgeous black hair that fell straight down her back and an equally straight and smooth coat. Her hair was much softer than Jenna's thanks to the difference of their breeds, however, it was Melissa's crystal blue eyes that stood out against her black and white coat.

"So how is everything back in the states?" Jenna looked up from her musings to stare at her cousin, a small smile twitching on her lips. Anytime Melissa asked about the states she was hinting more towards Jenna herself, always one to not bring up the wolf's family situation.

"It's alright. Just finished my first year of college."

"That's surprising," Melissa joked, "With how much you slack I would've thought you'd still be in high school."

"Har har har Melissa, real funny." The teen rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her small chest. "I just keep an average high enough to compete for our gymnastics team and our dance team."

Being a gymnast kept her body extremely fit, but at the same time left little to be desired about her chest unless she wore clothes to aid her in that specific area, of which she rarely did. Jenna had always been an awkward teenager and looked much younger than she actually was thanks to the underdeveloped features of her physique. It was mostly thanks to her breed in general that cursed her with the appearance of a stick-figure and the metabolism like an eight cylinder engine. It was something she was extremely self conscious of.

"Sorry, I forgot you're sensitive about that."

"What was your first guess?" Jenna rolled her eyes. "I don't know Mel, it's just – I like learning, but at the same time I would much rather put my efforts into doing something better with my life." The wolf voiced, her tone softening and forcing the husky to turn the radio down in order to hear her properly. "I just feel weird ya know? It's like I'm missing a huge part of myself and I need to find it."

Melissa glanced at the younger canine in concern before sighing softly. She was silent for a long while before she had thought of what she wanted to say to her younger cousin. "Look, Jen, everyone goes through the same thing after their first year of college…you want to discover yourself and you want to get out of your comfort zones – which is why your dad agreed to this whole trip – but you have to remember that without a degree you're not going to make too much out of yourself."

"It's not like that Mel!" Jenna sighed in exasperation, turning in her seat as her cousin pulled into a parking spot. "I've felt this way since I was thirteen…after mom disappeared." The husky's brows furrowed tightly together as she noticed the sudden vulnerability in her cousin. "I feel like there's a part of me that went with her, like…something that's been buried deep inside that I should know, but I don't."

"Well," Melissa cleared her throat, "Maybe you'll find that piece eventually…but for now you're in Cairo, Egypt and we're about to go shopping so cheer up and seriously, get what you want. Tauwn let me take some extra money for you." The husky smiled. "Today we're going to just hang out like we did before I got married okay?"

"Okay." Jenna sighed, brushing her hair from her eyes and watching sadly as the husky nodded and pulled the key from the ignition and getting out of the car. With a frown she tucked herself from the car and closed it, following her cousin as they began to walk along the busy streets of the historical district.

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Murray grinned as his two friends bickered back and forth. The hippo enjoyed just spending time with them in general, but the road trips to their objectives was always the most fun for him. It was like they weren't thieves with a warrant out for their arrest if even for a little while, but even being a part of a thieving group made the hippo happy that he was doing so with his two best friends. His brow quirked when Sly fell backwards in the van, his hand holding his hat to his head and his other holding his stomach as he laughed at something Bentley had said.

"You're not going to win this one Sly I can _feel_ it!"

Sly only laughed harder before wiping his eyes and sitting up. "That's what makes this funny Bentley, I can tell you that it's not going to work. I'm gonna score another point and you're not going to know what to do!"

"_Au contraire_," The reptile smirked, "Remember it has to be the first girl that you see that doesn't look like Carmelita by any means."

"Piece of cake!"

"Not so fast Sly," Murray piped up, staring at his friend from the rearview window. "A lot of the girls in Egypt have characteristics like Carmelita." This stopped the raccoon's laughter completely as he leaned against his seat.

"You're kidding?"

"No Sly he's not." Bentley informed him, "Ever since the culture shift in Egypt, girls have been dressing less traditional and so they've adopted a lot of European styles of dressing which means…"

"It makes my job all the more interesting." Sly smirked, "Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of tourists around this time so consider the challenge accepted Bentley."

The turtle only rolled his eyes and Murray laughed as the raccoon tipped his hat. After a few moments of driving they pulled up to the museum and Bentley turned in his seat to look at Sly. "Okay so this is where the Clockwerk parts are being held…we'll have to stake it out by going on a tour and just walking around." He informed his friends who listened to him intently. "It's really simple, just act like a tourist and we should be fine!"

Sly and Murray both nodded in understanding before assuming their "tourist" roles. They agreed that breaking up may make it look less suspicious, but at the same time they needed to keep in contact for the sake of Sly and Bentley's bet. The three friends stepped outside of the van and made their way into the museum. Once inside the three began walking around after paying their admission and setting up a tour time. Walking along the halls left the raccoon's eyes wide with wonder at all the valuable pieces of history just in this museum alone. He hadn't seen so many rare pieces since their last trip to New York City almost a year ago while on vacation.

"Jenna!"

Sly looked up in time to see a wolf that was at the piece just ahead of him turn around and face a husky that was walking her way. Both females were attractive in their own ways, but his eyes were on the wolf after he noticed the husky had a wedding band secured to her left hand. His dark eyes took in the form of the wolf and he nodded to himself with his appraisal. Wolves had a different kind of beauty to them, depending on their breed, some were more attractive than others being that they normally kept to themselves and only put themselves out there in the case that one of their family members or ally was threatened. Her coat was a different shade of grey than he was used to – he could see a light brown tinting to it as well – and was highlighted in a darker beige on either side of her snout and across the front of her face, small patches around her eyes and extending down the front of her neck and underneath her tail. It was an unusual combination, but it was unique. She was dressed simply in an outfit that clearly stated she was out casually as she looked comfortable enough. Her deep brown hair was messy, but not unattractively so as it was a more natural disarray and contained underneath her straw fedora, a nice touch – if he did say so himself.

Smirking to himself he watched as she motioned the husky over, the canine not as carefree as the wolf apparently was. "Jenna you can't be running off your father would _kill_ me if you just disappeared." The wolf only rolled her eyes in response.

"I'm not five Mel, I can handle myself in a _museum_." The wolf sighed, "I was just looking at this painting."

"Do you know what it is?"

Sly smirked, pressing his earpiece into his ear and clearing his throat as to gain his friend's attention. "Bentley, is this an appropriate candidate?"

"_Sly it's only been fifteen minutes since we left the van, you couldn't possibly have –_" The turtle paused as he came into view and looked at who the raccoon was subtly motioning towards. "_Oh brother…she's appropriate, but are you willing to throw all of your cards on one girl or do you want to scout more?_" Sly smirked at his friend's nervous tone and nodded his head.

"Oh I'm sure."

"_Alright pal…en garde!_" Sly almost laughed out loud to himself at the obvious joke before clearing his throat and making his way to the two canines. The two were glaring at each other, the husky turning in his direction and smirking.

"There why don't you ask this guy if he knows the answer?"

Sly quirked a brow as the wolf turned to him slowly and appraised him quickly before crossing her arms over her flat chest. This was also another thing the raccoon was unused to. Carmelita, as everyone was aware of, was rather curvy being of Latin decent and so it was something he was surprised to see, however, if memory served him right she did have larger breasts than others in her breed – wolves being extremely thin naturally and having little curve to them, the only place they did have form was in their hips and males specifically had wide chests. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm sorry," The husky apologized. "My cousin and I were just arguing about this piece and we had thought you worked here."

"I don't, but I'd be more than happy to help out such lovely ladies." The husky gave her cousin a look that Sly read easily as one that would suggest the wolf speak to him or consider him as suitable and he hid a smirk. The wolf only gave her cousin a deadpanned look before turning her eyes to his form and Sly stopped for a moment. Her eyes, even for her breed, were unusual as they were a soft hazel green and he had lost his train of thought as the wolf snorted softly. "I'm sorry…could you repeat that?"

"I said, do you know the title and artist of this piece?"

Sly turned his eyes to the painting, ignoring the burning of his cheeks as he attempted to focus instead on the painting and less on the snickering husky. Observing it for a few moments he turned to the two females and pointed at the painting. "It's called _The Libyan Sybil _by Michelangelo."

"Wow," The husky frowned as she looked to the now smirking wolf and sighed softly. "I didn't think you were right."

"You forget that this is what I go to college for."

"Again, I'm surprised." The wolf growled at her, her ears flattening against her skull. The blue eyed canine raised her hands in surrender before smirking. "I'm gonna leave you kids to talk…I'll be right over here!" Before the wolf could stop her she was gone and she sighed heavily in exasperation.

"Sorry about her." She sighed again, her ears remaining flat to the sides of her head. "My cousin can be a bit obvious in her _tastes_."

Sly laughed, "It's not a problem, in fact, I'm used to it…Sly." He introduced himself and watched as her eyebrow quirked, her one ear rising off of her head in a noncommittal gesture to his statement.

"Fascinating." She drawled slowly and looking at the watch attached to her wrist. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go and make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble."

Sly panicked slightly as his eyes found Bentley smirking at him from across the way and he grabbed her wrist as she went to walk away and stopping her. "Wait!" The wolf turned to look at him, her eyebrow quirked and her tail flicking in annoyance.

"Yes?"

"I didn't catch your name."

Jenna's brows arched in annoyance. "I didn't give it. Thank you again for the help." And before the raccoon could stop her again she had walked away and he immediately turned to Bentley who had slowly begun to walk over to him.

"Sorry pal, but you were a minute and a half short." Sly frowned as he watched her walk away from him. He wasn't hurt at all about losing a bet, he had lost those plenty of times, however, there was something that had intrigued him about her. "Sly?"

"Sorry Bentley, what were you saying?"

The turtle looked up at his friend and shook his head, slapping his forehead before sighing. "Sly you didn't talk to her for more than five minutes, don't tell me you're attached already!"

"I'm not." Sly frowned. "There's just something familiar about her is all."

Melissa looked up as her cousin pulled out a chair from the small table that she sat at sipping her coffee. "So?"

"So what?" Jenna snorted as she took her cousin's coffee out of her hand and taking a sip. "What was the deal back there?"

"Oh," The husky frowned as she took back her coffee. "He was staring at you long before coming over to speak to us and Tauwn told me about Jacob so I figured why not help you out?"

"Help me out?" Jenna frowned deeply, rubbing her forehead with her hand. "Mel, I don't need any help with my relationships."

"Jenna, I'm far from oblivious." The husky smirked, "I remember what it's like to date and to go off on trips. You're in a foreign country and you had a rather handsome looking male come up and start talking to you! The least you could have done was get coffee with him!" When the husky took a good look at her cousin's nonchalance she frowned. "Tell me what happened."

Jenna waved down a waiter and offered him a polite smile. "Could I get a blueberry scone and an iced caramel latte?" The waiter nodded before walking off and the wolf turned her hazel eyes to her cousin. "After you left we spoke for a few minutes and I left."

"Details."

Jenna rolled her eyes, "I apologized for you, he said something self-centered and introduced himself. Then I tried to leave and he asked me for my name and I didn't give it to him." She quirked a brow at her cousin's incredulous look, a look of absolute abhorring contorting her features. "What?"

"Are you _stupid_!" Melissa roared and the wolf's ears immediately flattened to her head, her eyes widening as she was not prepared for her cousin's outburst of which had drawn a lot of unwanted attention from the surrounding tables. "Jen he was trying to make his move! THAT WAS THE SIGNAL!"

"Okay, stop yelling!" Jenna barked, her brows pinching together tightly. "There's nothing I can do about it now, it is what it is."

Melissa only stared at her cousin incredulously. Never once had Jenna played hard to get and it made her question what had happened to the younger canine recently to make her change her mind. She was well aware that her cousin wasn't as friendly as the next canine and wouldn't just go up and start talking to people thanks to her specific breed and the discrimination against them, however, she never knew her to be cold towards anyone. Her blue eyes watched as the wolf thanked the waiter before looking at her scone tentatively, sniffing it suspiciously before taking a small bite and nodding to herself. "What is wrong with you?" The husky held her breath as Jenna looked up from her scone, her hazel eyes sharp against the darkness of her fur, and quirking a brow.

"Nothing, why?"

Melissa growled lowly in her throat in frustration. "You're acting really weird today."

"I'm not acting weird at all Mel. Jake and I just broke up, let me have my time where I'm not worrying about anyone else, especially a _boy_." Melissa's eyes softened at her reasoning and Jenna sighed. "Despite the way we broke up I did really care about him. So just let me do my own thing for now." Jenna took a sip of her latte and almost spit it back out when she noticed the same raccoon she had so abruptly turned down now sitting with two others a few tables away from her. Melissa, startled by her cousin's movement turned her head sharply to look behind her before a smirk twitched at her lips.

"This, dear cousin –"

"Don't even say it." Melissa's smirk only widened.

"Karma."Jenna rolled her eyes before taking another tentative bite of her scone and tipping her hat over her eyes as she observed the raccoon and the other two occupants of his table.

The first was a green turtle, his glasses took up most of his face and judging by the age in his face he was older than the raccoon and wore a red bow-tie around his neck and a white collared shirt. Jenna could tell immediately that he was most certainly stereotypical of a nerd, but unlike the storybook nerds that you normally read about he was handsome in his own right. Turtles, as the wolf was aware of, had a tendency to be coarse looking thanks to their reptilian backgrounds, but this turtle was definitely one of the more handsome she had seen.

The second was obviously the oldest of the three, being a large hippo. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts and looked to be the most carefree of the three, and the most childish. Just observing him she could see that he was warmer and more trusting, however, with the knowledge of how potentially dangerous they could be kept her perspective in check. Hippos were well known for minding their own business and being carefree until angered or threatened, in which case their strength became equivalent to that of a body builder if not stronger. Her eyes traced the laugh lines around his eyes, not visible to the common eye, but thanks to her eyesight she was able to see the beginnings of them.

Finally her eyes turned towards the raccoon, Sly as he had so introduced himself as. While each had features that made them attractive in their own way, it was Sly she found the most appealing though she would never admit it out loud. His coat was well tamed, minus the hair at the top of his head which spiked up in odd angles and giving him a disheveled look. He wore what appeared to be a band tee and a grey hooded vest over top of it with a pair of jeans. True to his breed he had a mischievous glimmer in his molten colored optics – a shade of brown she had not yet seen on any other male for they were absolutely striking against the darkness of his fur. Her knowledge of raccoons was limited, thanks to there not being a great number of pure breeds running around anymore thanks to a great number of killings a few hundred years ago. However, what she did know was that they had a natural tendency to be very good at sweet talking, especially so when they were in trouble, but lethal if threatened.

A blush raced to her cheeks when she was caught staring at them only for it to darken as a smirk began to twitch at the raccoon's lips, having caught her out of the corner of his eye and she ducked her head behind her cousin's hat to hide her face.

"Sly are you listening to me?"

"Sure, sure Bentley," Jenna heard the raccoon chuckle. Sly noticed her ear twitch out of the corner of his eye and he leaned closer to his comrades with a smirk in hopes she wouldn't be able to hear him. "I'm about to even the odds Bentley."

"Sly!" Bentley sighed in exasperation and Murray only laughed, watching in amusement as the raccoon stood from the table and made his way slowly passed the wolf's table and to the counter.

This, however, went unnoticed to the husky as she looked at her cousin. "Jenna do you want another scone?" The husky watched as the wolf stared blankly at her finished coffee and she frowned. "Jenna?"

"Yeah!"

Melissa eyed her cousin carefully before raising a brow. "Do you want another scone?"

"No," Jenna cleared her throat, unaware of the raccoon's presence at the counter behind her. "I could use another caramel latte though." She muttered. Melissa rolled her eyes.

"You really need to stop drinking those all the time, they're so bad for you." Jenna only snorted in response, eyeing her cousin with a monotonous look.

"Really Mel?"

"Oh that's right." The husky sighed, glaring at her younger cousin playfully. "You couldn't put any weight on you if you tried."

"It's a curse."

"More like a gift!" The husky chuckled. "Do you know how many girls would kill to have a metabolism like yours?"

"Run track."

"Shut up." Melissa laughed before clearing her throat. "You're lucky kid that's for sure." She was about to open her mouth and continue her statement when her phone rang and she shot her cousin an apologetic look. "This is the hospital Jen, I need to take this." Jenna only smiled with a roll of her eyes before waving her off earning a large and thankful smile from her cousin as the husky stood and made her way away from the table.

"Can I get a plate of scones for the table with the turtle and the hippo, a coffee with cream – no sugar and an iced caramel latte please?" The cashier nodded and moved to take his order, handing the plate of scones to the waiter and pointing at the table where Bentley and Murray were watching, before handing Sly his order. The raccoon paid the cashier before meandering his way to the wolf's table and smirking. "Is this seat taken?" He had to hide a laugh when the wolf jumped, obviously startled before sighing upon seeing him.

"Um…my cousin just left to take a call..."

"I won't intrude long, I promise." Sly reassured and offered her a charming smile when she nodded her head, albeit reluctantly – it was obvious she was being polite. "Here, I happened to overhear you and your cousin as I passed by and figured it would make up for me scaring you." Jenna eyed the latte suspiciously and Sly couldn't help himself as a laugh slipped passed his lips. "I didn't make it, don't worry."

Jenna took a sip and nodded, her ears straightening out slowly as she eyed him. "Okay, I give, what do you want?" The raccoon's brow rose at the accusation and he smirked.

"I can't have a conversation with a lovely lady?"

"Flattery isn't going win you any prizes." Jenna smirked behind her cup as she eyed him. Sly only smirked, leaning back in the chair parallel to her own across the table and resting his other leg on his knee.

"Touché," He nodded, "So tell me, what brings you to Cairo?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Jenna remarked quickly and without much thought. Sly's brow arched higher, a smirk twitching openly upon his lips.

"Quick thinker?"

"More than I admit, but yes."

"Interesting," Sly smirked, "So what exactly brings you to Cairo again?"

"Vacation." She answered this time, a smirk twitching at her own lips as she noticed his smirk falter – it was obvious he wasn't anticipating an answer. "Visiting my cousin for the next few months and then heading back home."

"Which is?"

"Take a wild guess." She rolled her eyes. "So what brings you here?"

"The Clockwerk exhibit." Sly winced when Bentley shouted in his ear and he casually reached up and scratched the back of his head and turning the earpiece down. "I heard that the parts were transported here from the Museum of Natural History back in the States."

"I had heard similar rumors." Jenna nodded. "It's unusual that they would be showing parts like that; from what I've heard he was a terror all around the world."

"You have no idea." Sly muttered to himself, only for his eyes to widen as he had not anticipated her hearing him as she shot him a suspiciously quizzical look. "We learn in great detail about the terror he caused, especially here in Europe." He cursed himself mentally for his slip up, but was confident that she hadn't caught his excuse and he sighed in relief when she nodded her head slowly.

"So that would mean that you're relatively local," She smirked. "If I had to guess I would say either Great Britain or France based on your dialect." When the raccoon smirked she nodded to herself. He had responded more to the second option thanks to his body language and so she had immediately deduced that he was a French native, though his accent was barely recognizable. _He must travel a lot or French isn't his first language. _Finally she sighed, returning her thoughts back to the previous topic of conversation. "And, I don't doubt that. He most certainly was notorious on this continent as opposed to the States," She agreed, "In fact, I only remember there ever being two sightings of him total throughout American History."

Sly nodded his head. "True, so what brings you to the museum? I didn't think these things interested beautiful women anymore."

"I study history in college so it's not all that uncommon." She answered without skipping a beat. She was hoping that Melissa would come back at any moment to save her, but the call she had taken must have been important for it to be taking this long. "And like I said before, flattery won't win you any prizes."

"Kid!" The wolf and raccoon turned their attention to Melissa as she came trotting back over, her eyes wide. "We need to go…I'm sorry we have to leave before seeing everything, but we really need to go. Tauwn won't be able to pick you up and I just got called in for an accident."

Sly watched as Jenna's face fell, it was obvious that the wolf wanted to stick around, but since her ride was going to be leaving it appeared she had to go as well. Jenna turned her attention to the ringtail and sighed. "I'm sorry…it was nice talking to you again, but –"

"I understand." He nodded with a smile. Jenna nodded, a smile twitching at her lips as well before standing and pushing her napkin away and following her cousin away in a hurry. Frowning, Sly checked her napkin and laughed to himself. "So, your name is Jenna huh?" He looked over the napkin once more before grabbing it and walking back to his two friends. "Bentley – check and mate."

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Thanks for reading!  
Reviews are adored and appreciated :D

xoxo


	3. The Escape and Unexpected Baggage

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with Shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note**: Hey there everyone. Welcome to chapter three :) To anyone who is reading my _Chantey I: Songs of the Sea _story, I'm sorry – I've been having the worst case of writers block known to man and decided to write this just to keep working on something :P Anyways, I'm expecting an update for that story sometime this weekend after I manage to reread and edit what I have to make it easier to write (finals messed me up big time sadly) so keep your eyes peeled for that. I know it's only been a day, but I figured I'd give you something to chew on for a while before the next update…besides, I know you're all just itching with anticipation lol ;D Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

A special thanks to my reviewers for chapter two: _Razor of DOOM, BananaB0mb, GraNNIeShufflez03, ForeverFreeLancer _and_ boona:_

_Razor of DOOM: _Haha I had originally added that note there for myself so I remembered what was so funny because, to be honest, I had to laugh after I wrote that xD Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy chapter 3!

_GraNNIeShufflez03: _Haha you know, I remember that too! Gosh I miss being able to bounce ideas off of you being only a few feet from you lol xD And oh, I like Blues/Soul…but Jenna doesn't lol, it's just to make her different haha. Thanks darling! Thanks for your review…as always ;)

_boona: _Haha I read your review and actually pictured how it would've sounded and I had to laugh! Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :D

_BananaB0mb: _Wow...that's awesome :D Thanks so much! I normally wouldn't write one like this, but I thought about it for a while and was like, "Ya know what? I'm gonna do it!" And that was it lol :) And thanks, I was actually really nervous about their interactions, keeping Cannons in check is always a challenge :P lol. Anyway, thank you so much for your review and I hope you continue to enjoy the story :)  
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ForeverFreeLancer: _Wow! Thank you so much! To be honest, I still think I need a lot of work (scratches back of head sheepishly), but if it helps I got a lot of my writing from reading…A LOT. Whether it was fanfictions, news articles, magazines, books…literally anything I could get my hands on. When you find a writer that you like, you begin to mold yourself off of them :) My writing is thanks to one of my teachers back in high school who liked to use colors and a lot of description in order to create a full picture. She always told me that she didn't like readers having too much control in her world and in her imagination and I agree with that in a way :D But thanks so much for your review and I know you'll get there! We all start off a little rough around the edges lol! I hope you enjoy chapter 3!

Anyway I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and remember, reviews are appreciated, but not mandatory for an update ;D

xoxo  
timexgone23

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
03_

Jenna frowned as she walked around her cousin's house by herself. Tauwn and Melissa both were at work and had left Jenna alone, knowing that she was old enough to take care of herself. Jenna made her way into the kitchen, making herself a snack, something that she had found odd even for herself. Normally, the wolf was able to eat dinner and sleep through the night, but this night was much different. Her eyes briefly caught the calendar that sat right next to the fridge and sighed at the circled date, July 24th,_ Only a month until my birthday…_Looking up at the clock she sighed, adjusting the olive green USMC hoodie (crest and all) she wore over her fitted t-shirt and black sweatpants, her bare feet padding almost silently on the tiled floor as she walked across the kitchen and into the living room.

She munched quietly on her granola bar, a chill making its way through her body and causing the wolf to shudder in response. She had a weird feeling that something was going to happen tonight and her thoughts were soon confirmed as the sounds of police sirens broke through the quiet tranquility of the cool June night. As a shadow darted passed her window she didn't think twice before running out of her house, grabbing her cell phone and keys as she went. Rounding another corner she came crashing into a darker figure, the sirens getting much louder as another vehicle, a van if her eyes weren't betraying her pulled to the opening of the alley and she turned her hazel eyes to the figure. Her lips formed into a tight scowl as she stood quickly and placed herself between the van and the figure.

"Get into the van!"

"Bentley I can't exactly do that!"

"Why not!"

"I've seemed to run into some…_unexpected_ trouble."

"Don't tell me it's Carmelita again!"

"Um…not exactly," The figure seemed reluctant to move and Jenna's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I wouldn't normally ask someone so nicely to move out of my way, but in your case I'd have to ask you to do just that."

"Are you kidding?" Jenna snorted, her ears flattening against her skull. The figure sighed, flipping his cane in his hand out of habit before narrowing their eyes.

"Not really. Let me pass and you won't get into any trouble." When Jenna lowered her stance slightly in preparation Sly sighed to himself, his eyes quickly tracing for an escape that wouldn't hurt her and finding one he quickly moved. With his cane raised he went to grab the clothes line above her only for the wolf to grab his cane, thinking that it was aimed at her, she was now completely in his face and he knew she could tell who he was. Her eyes were wide, but her shock immediately turned into calculation as she went to move away from him. As a shock blast landed next to the two of them and hit the wall, Sly made a quick decision and he grabbed the wolf around her waist before jumping into the back of the van and turning to the hippo in the driver's seat. "Murray drive!"

Jenna lurched forward in an attempt to get at the van's doors, but Sly grabbed her around the waist and threw himself backwards in an attempt to restrain her. "Let go of me!" She growled, fighting the raccoon with all of her strength as she flailed and rolled in his hold only for the raccoon to roll the two of them over with Sly now pinning her to the floor of the van.

"Locks would be nice."

He noticed Bentley lock the doors and he sighed in relief only for his eyes to widen as pain ripped from his lower stomach and through his body. Jenna took his momentary shock to roll out from underneath him and attempt at the doors once more only to cry out as Murray swerved out of the way of a cop and she smacked her head into the side of Bentley's equipment. Gaining control over his breathing and the pain that resonated in his lower abdomen; Sly sat himself down and sighed while rubbing his head. His eyes surveyed the still wolf and cautiously he moved forward, mindful of the movements of the car beneath him. As he approached the fallen wolf he rolled her over to see that she looked peaceful, her eyes closed and her face relaxed as the wolf had slipped into unconsciousness thanks to the large bump that had appeared on the side of her temple after she had smacked her head. Grimacing at the lump he checked her breathing and sighed in relief as she had a steady pulse before turning to the turtle and hippo who looked at him expectantly.

"Well…we can't exactly turn back now can we?"

"Sly, the last thing we need is a charge of kidnapping to be placed on our accounts." The turtle sighed. "I mean look at what she's wearing!" Sly turned his eyes to the hoodie she wore to see that it was a standard USMC sweatshirt that members of the US MARINES had as representation of their occupation and he groaned to himself. "She's obviously related to someone in the Marines and having her with us could get us all _killed_!"

"Bentley does have a point," Murray sighed, "But why don't we see what she wants to do when she wakes up?"

"Judging by the bump on her head, she's not going to be waking up any time soon." Bentley sighed as he made his way into the back of the van next to Sly to check her out. "I'd say it's a mild concussion, but we can't be sure until she wakes up."

"I think we should stop at a motel when we get far enough away from here…we can't just leave her."

"That's true." Bentley agreed, eyeing the raccoon carefully. "And what do we do when she wakes up…you know she's not going to be happy."

Sly was silent for a few moments before sighing loudly through his nose. "That much is true, but we'll keep her with us for now. She may be helpful since she already has a good idea about the Clockwerk parts."

Bentley nodded and looked at Murray with a frown. "Let's try and get as far away from here as possible and then stop…we don't need those cops showing up out of no where and slapping cuffs on us."

"Right on!" Murray roared gleefully, "_The Murray _approves!"

Sly and Bentley looked at one another before shaking their heads.

"Now we heard everything through our ear pieces Sly, but what do you think about what Constable Neyla said?"

Sly was silent for a few moments, considering the reptile's question before sighing and raking a gloved hand through his hair in exhaustion. "I honestly can't tell you, but it's all we really have to go on for now." Bentley nodded in agreement before setting himself in the back with his computers. The raccoon looked down at the wolf once more and picked her up carefully, moving her next to Bentley who had already begun to look up information about the Klaww Gang, the apparent thieves that had made off with the Clockwerk parts. Sly frowned deeply as he looked out the window of the front seat, his eyes distant as he rethought what he had encountered back at the museum and especially what Constable Neyla had said. After a number of long hours of just sitting in the van, Murray deemed it safe enough to search for a hotel since it would take them a full two days to get back to France.

Sly sighed tiredly as he exited the van and stretched, Bentley soon appearing next to him so the two of them could check into a room. Murray, however, was left with their captive – a temperamental wolf that he was sure would wake up at any moment and use him as her chew toy. To say that the hippo was a little nervous was an understatement, despite having to focus on the road, he had seen how easily she was able to keep up with Sly's movements, who – out of the three of them – was the fastest on his feet when it came to running and fighting. He gulped loudly when he heard a groan come from the back seat and as tentatively as he could he turned to see the wolf now sitting up and holding her head. As Murray's mind normally went, his concern overrode his fear of her and he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a bottle of aspirin.

"I know it's not much," He began, his brows furrowing when she growled weakly at him. "But these will help your headache."

Jenna had to squint to see what he was holding in his hand and she looked back at the hippo. Her anger was not going to be taken out on the one member of this motley crew that was going to help her. Nodding softly she moved forward and took the bottle from his outstretched hand and took out two capsules before popping them in her mouth and swallowing. "Where are we?"

"Um…" Murray paused, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly, watching her carefully as she shifted in her seat. "We're already in a small town on the coast in Libya."

"Oh…" Jenna sighed softly, rubbing her head as the pounding remained and she yelped as she touched the bump on the side of her head. "I'm not going to hurt you…" She winced as she noticed him flinch slightly, though as she assured him she wasn't going to cause him problems he visibly relaxed. "To be honest I'm not all that angry at you…Sly, however, has _a lot _of explaining to do if he doesn't want me to pummel him into the concrete." Murray laughed loudly at her comment and smiled openly at her. Jenna returned the smile, albeit weaker, before furrowing her brow at him. "I don't think I ever caught your name…"

"You my fair maiden may call me _The Murray_!"

Jenna quirked an eyebrow in amusement as Murray flexed his muscles before sighing softly, "Okay, Murray, then why are we stopped?"

"We decided to pull off into a hotel to let you heal up; you hit your head pretty hard on the corner of Bentley's master computer."

"So that's why my head's killing me." She sighed, shaking her head softly. "So –"

"We're ready to go." Jenna's ears flattened against her skull as Sly's voice hit her ears, his footsteps circling to the back doors of the van and opening them. Jenna leaned back into the seat, a growl already rolling up her throat. "C'mon, we're stopped so you can get some rest." This did not make the wolf move anymore than the twitch of her lip as her growl became more pronounced. She was normally not one to go into a blind rage, however, when the raccoon sighed in exasperation and made to grab her she snapped and pushed herself off of the van's interior so fast Sly did not have time to prepare before he was being knocked out of the van with an angry wolf on top of him. Sly knew she was easily disoriented because of her concussion and with that in mind made sure she did not hit her head as he rolled out from underneath her and made to pin her.

Jenna, already familiar with this movement rolled with him and jumped off of him and away from him. Her statement to Murray about making him eat concrete was no exaggeration and she only felt angry as the ringtail stood, his tail twitching in annoyance as his own lip curled into a snarl. Bentley stood wide-eyed from the side of the van and Murray had jumped out of the driver's seat when Jenna had lunged.

"Wait don't fight!" Jenna chose to ignore the hippo's words as her emotions continued to bubble to the surface of her psyche. Jenna watched the raccoon closely as he lowered himself in preparation to apprehend her if necessary and with another spring of movement from her toned legs she darted forward and to the raccoon in a bout of emotional rage that made her easy to grab. Sly had grabbed her wrist as she went to throw a punch at him and twisted her so that he held both of her hands behind her shoulders, her arms crossed before her neck so that she couldn't move and he grunted as Jenna thrashed against him, the raccoon pulling her closer to avoid her hitting any sensitive areas that he would be, otherwise, unable to block in his current position.

"Chill out!"

Jenna pulled once more against him and grunted as she began to see dots, her vision swimming and giving Sly enough of an advantage to regain his hold on her. "I can't believe you!" She grunted, struggling against him weakly. "You're a thief!"

"Now, are you going to cooperate or do I have to drag you to your assigned room and tie you to the bed and force you to relax?" Sly's husky voice sounded next to her ear and she shuddered as his heavy breathing hit the side of her neck. "You hit your head really hard back there and we need to make sure you're okay."

"Why do you care?" Jenna grunted as she arched away from him in another effort to release his hold on her arms, but he had managed to lean back into the van for balance so it was near impossible for her to gain any advantage.

"Because we're thieves, we're not murders." Sly grunted as he attempted to hold her once more. "Now can I let you go without you trying to attack me?"

"You attacked me first," She reasoned, wincing as her head began to throb in time with her erratic heartbeat. Sly only grunted again.

"I did no such thing. I was trying to reach the line above you with my cane when you grabbed it." He explained quickly as Jenna bucked once more. He had to admit that she was feistier than Carmelita ever was, then again, he had never gotten her in a position like the one he had Jenna in now. "Then you made it impossible for me to get away without getting arrested so it was either face the shock pistol and handcuffs or take you with us and I chose the latter." He blinked when Jenna stopped thrashing against him after his hurried explanation.

"Would you have done the same thing if I was someone you didn't know?"

"I don't exactly know you," Sly argued with a heavy sigh. "So logically, yes I would have done the same."

"Fascinating."

Sly was about to question what she meant when he yelped loudly as she stepped on his instep as hard as she could and he growled. Bentley, seeing that the tension had considerably decreased came forward and looked at the two of them. "Now Jenna, I'm sure this is all very frustrating to you, but are you willing to cooperate with us?" Jenna looked down at the turtle from over her arms and grunted as Sly had regained his tight hold on her before sighing and nodding her head slowly. When she agreed, Sly tentatively released his hold on her and allowed the wolf to move away from him before sighing. He hadn't had to fight someone as stubborn as she apparently was in a long while – this was going to be fun.

"Are you alright Jenna?"

Sly looked up to see that both Bentley and Murray were looking at the wolf in concern as she shook her head. The raccoon moved forward just in time to catch her from falling and hitting her head once more and in a quick motion her legs were draped over his other arm. He turned his head to his two friends and offered them a weak smile. "Sleep?"

"I think that's a reasonable argument." Bentley nodded with a smirk forming on his lips. Murray also smiled widely at the prospect of sleeping for a little while before he had to drive once more. "Now Sly, how are we going to do this with her around?" The reptile asked. "We can't exactly trust her to stay in her room and not cause trouble. Her attacking you just now is proof of that."

"I'll stay with her."

Sly and Bentley both looked to the hippo with quirked brows, surprised he had volunteered.

"She hasn't done anything to bother me yet and I don't think she'd be too upset if she woke up with someone there." The hippo reasoned slowly.

"I'd prefer if Sly did it Murray…" Bentley stated slowly, eyeing the wolf in the raccoon's arms. "She's really tough for her size and I wouldn't be surprised that if she did go hostile again she'd attack anything in sight. At least with Sly he'd be able to subdue her without hurting her."

"Don't worry big guy," Sly smiled as Murray took the turtle's words verbatim. "If she wakes up and asks for you I'll come get you okay? Besides," The raccoon smirked, "Her room only has one bed and you need your rest pal. I can always sleep during the ride."

Murray nodded after a moment of consideration and smiled widely. "Okay."

"Now that that's settled, let's get some sleep!" Bentley sighed heavily. Sly chuckled as he followed his friends, Murray opening the door for him to Jenna's room who had quite literally passed out in his arms during their conversation. He stepped inside, bidding the two a goodnight before placing the wolf on the bed and pulling the sheets down and around her before sighing, pinching the bridge of his snout between his two fingers in frustration. This girl was going to be more trouble than he had originally anticipated.

Taking one last glance at her peaceful face he adjusted himself to the chair in the corner. He sighed, dipping his hat over his eyes and allowing himself to succumb to the sleep he so desired and needed after his failed heist.

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Jenna groaned as she woke up, her eyes squinting as her head continued to throb – though she had to admit that it was much less painful than it had been when she had attacked Sly. Sitting up she looked around and noticed that she was lying on a bed, underneath the covers and she was in a small hotel room. As her eyes scanned the area of her room, her eyes fell on the figure in the arm chair near the door. Noticing it to be Sly she frowned deeply and as quietly as she could she reached to her left for the phone, with any hope she could dial the operator and get her hooked up to the police. Picking the phone off of the receiver she placed it to her ear and cursed quietly when there was no dial tone, glancing back at the raccoon she leaned over to see what the issue was and noticing the phone line was cut.

Growling lowly in her throat she pushed the covers off of her legs and placed her feet on the ground, slowly managing to sneak her way passed the raccoon and towards the door. She slowly began to unlock the door, making sure to keep as silent as she could – her breath hitching when she heard Sly's breathing pattern change for a moment before returning to the slow and deep breaths that signify one sleeping. Pulling the handle down she attempted to pull the door open to see that it wouldn't budge. Frowning she looked around for a card of some sort, her eyes soon finding a thin piece of cardboard and smirking as she grabbed it and slid it between the crack of the door to where the lock was.

"Come on…" She whispered to herself as she attempted to release the lock from the door, but to no avail. She patted her pockets and frowned deeper as she noticed her cell phone was missing, _stupid raccoon!_ Turning sharply from the door she looked up at the ceiling and smirked. A tile ceiling meant that she could lift one of them up and slide into it and potentially away from her kidnappers. With this thought in mind she made her way to the bathroom and locked the door behind her, just in case Sly woke up before she was done. Grabbing the towels off of the rack she sealed the door to keep any sounds she would make muffled. Turning on the shower was her next step into diverting attention from what she was doing as she stood on top of the toilet and began to push at the tile over the basin. When the tile came free she smiled in triumph to herself before heaving herself into the hole. Using her knowledge of where she had been located in the room she began to move towards where the door was, keeping herself as quiet as possible and following the air duct.

"It would've been so much easier if I had thought of that before this." Jenna mumbled to herself as she crawled through the ceiling. When she saw light she made her way towards it, finding that it was an opening in the air duct she had been crawling next to before smiling widely and making her way through the duct instead. Jenna, being as thin as she was, was able to pull herself through the vent with ease, finding the main lobby of the hotel and smirking to herself as she squinted her eyes in search of the bathroom. As soon as her eyes found her objective she began crawling towards it and almost doing a happy dance as she kicked out the vent cover of the ladies bathroom. Pulling herself out of the vent was a little more difficult than it had been getting in as the opening was smaller than Jenna had anticipated, but she managed after a few moments of shifting and cursing.

Looking at herself in the mirror she plucked shuddered before picking all of the spider webs out of her hair. The feeling of things crawling on her only made her shiver once more, her eyes catching the sink as means to clean herself off. After doing so and fixing her long hair into a messy bun at the back of her head to keep it away from her face she began the next phase of her escape.

Peeking her head out of the bathroom and finding no one there to stop her she began to quickly walk to the front door. Getting outside was no issue, however, as she looked at the van that had brought her to the motel she sighed. An old van like that wasn't hard to hotwire, she reasoned, but it wasn't going to exactly be quiet and knowing the three thieves for as little time as she did know them, she knew they would no doubt hear someone trying to steal their van and come out to investigate and catch her. Instead, she looked at the car next to theirs and peeked through the windows. Sitting in the backseat was a shopping bag that had female clothes hanging from its confines. Smirking to herself she set to work of opening the car and gaining that bag of clothes. After playing with the wires beneath the car she heard it unlock and she quickly opened the back door and grabbed the bag, moving back into the bathroom of the main lobby and changing.

Back in Bridgewater, she had hotwired many cars in order to get around the town. This had stopped when her uncle had caught her and had brought her home instead of reporting that it was her who had been "stealing" the local cars. She had been thankful for her uncle not reporting that, however, when her father found out she had snuck out of the house her father had given her hell to pay. She still, after all of these years, carried the aches of that disciplinary action. She scoffed at the thought.

The clothes were slightly uncomfortable as she adjusted the high collared shirt around her neck. She was wearing a high collared Henley that she had taken the liberty of undoing the many buttons that closed the collar, opening it so that her collarbones were exposed. She bloused the shirt over the pair of black leggings that had been in the bag and frowned to herself as she tied up the jazz shoes. She had come to realize quickly that the bag had contained a dance outfit, the wolf keeping the more glitzy of the accessories in the bag. She took out the grey and black fedora that had been tucked into the bag as well and she quickly tucked her hair into it before walking out of the bathroom. Looking around again she noticed a few people beginning to mingle about and she held the bag with her sweatshirt, tee and sweatpants in her hand tightly. Keeping her head down she made her way to the door only to run directly into someone and as she looked up her heart dropped into her stomach. Standing in front of her was a not so happy Sly with his arms now crossed over his chest.

"Act nice, you don't want to draw attention," He told her softly, holding out his arm to her to make it appear as if it were casual. Jenna took the arm offered and allowed him to steer her away from the wandering eyes of the people in the main lobby. "I have to admit," He continued quietly. "I hadn't thought you'd escape through the roof…extremely smart. How'd you come up with the idea?"

Jenna snorted softly, "Many years of escaping detention and sneaking out of my house." She frowned deeper when he tightened his hold on her arm and sighed. "You were awake?"

"I've learned how to make it look like I'm sleeping." Sly answered casually, though judging by his tone he had most certainly been sleeping at some point. "I had already anticipated you trying to escape…though I wasn't expecting you to go as far as breaking into someone else's car to get a disguise." She felt him eye her up and down and she held back a loud snarl. "They look good on you."

"They're uncomfortable as all hell." She snapped quietly. She was not at all happy that she had been caught and Sly smirked in reply.

"Don't worry there princess," He began, almost chuckling out loud at her quiet growl. "We'll let you get some decent clothes to wear, but seeing as you stole that outfit you're just going to have to deal."

"Yippee." She grumbled as the raccoon led her to the side door of the van where Murray was already in the driver's seat.

"You're getting the front." Sly told her with a smirk. "We all know you won't hurt the big guy here so you get to keep him company."

"He's better than you." Jenna remarked, opening the door for herself and seating herself besides the hippo. Sly only smirked, it was obvious he had wounded her pride at catching her and though he would never admit it out loud she had nearly gotten away. Had she not just stolen the clothes she would have been long gone, but after considering everything she had done, he came to realize that she had the right idea. If anyone recognized her in a foreign country driving a stolen vehicle especially with the clothes she had been wearing she probably would have been shot on sight or taken as a prisoner and held for ransom. As he climbed into the back of the van next to Bentley, he considered her skills at improvision and especially as she had hotwired the car. _Skills like that could be useful to us on the field._

The car ride, for the most part, was silent – Jenna spent most of her time looking at the passing scenery, her mind wandering as she thought about everything that had happened to her so far. Bentley was typing away in his quest for the Klaww Gang via connections that the group had made over the last few years and Sly was happily dozing off as he had promised Murray a few hours before. Jenna glanced at him out of the rearview mirror and sighed. There was no use trying to outsmart the gang anymore and she had resigned herself to the fact that she was now their captive for the time being. But her curiosity was peaked and she grunted gaining the hippo's attention as well as Sly's as he shifted slightly, his eye peering at her sleepily from where he lounged in the back.

"So I was thinking," Jenna began softly. "That since it's absolutely futile to try and escape from you guys that I just go along with the flow…Before I passed out I heard you mention something about the Clockwerk parts and based off of our conversation yesterday, Sly, I'm assuming you were there to steal the parts. Why?"

Sly sat up and sighed deeply, staring at the wolf who had turned around to look at him fully. "Clockwerk," Sly began slowly almost as if reminiscing. "He was consumed with jealousy for the Cooper Clan's thieving reputation." He explained. "Is it inappropriate to refer to him as a monster? No, not at all. What kind of person stays alive for hundreds of years with the express intention of wiping out a rival's family line?" Jenna watched as the emotions began to show on the raccoon's face, though it was obvious that he was trying to keep it as nonbiased as possible. Sly looked at her intensely as his voice darkened. "Imagine the hatred fueling that first decision to replace his mortal body with soulless machinery? Ultimately, end of the trick. Clockwerk lived on."

"…"

"He caught up with my parents, and I wound up in an orphanage." Sly explained a little softer now that he was speaking more personally and he watched her carefully. "It's there that I met my pals; Bentley," The turtle waved in gesture that Sly was speaking about him, "the brains of our outfit and Murray, the brawn. They turned out to be the only family that I needed." Sly smiled fondly at the two before sighing once more. "Two years ago I thought I'd finished it. How naïve to think that I could so easily put an end to that kind of hatred, and now he's back, in pieces sure, but the threat is real." He sighed softly. "Does the Klaww Gang even realize what they've stolen?"

"That's terrible." Jenna frowned deeply, her own voce soft. Sly regarded her carefully before sighing once more.

"I don't know what's in my future, but I won't let it be a repeat of my past."

Jenna was silent for a few minutes, the only sound being the whirring of the engine and tires against the highway as Murray drove. Sighing finally, the wolf turned her eyes to the raccoon to see that he was staring at her as if waiting for a particular reaction. Seeing one that he hadn't been anticipating, he frowned softly. "I can't say that I know what you guys went through, but it's been rough for me as well." She frowned. "To my knowledge I was born in Kodiak, Alaska – my dad being a drill sergeant for the US Marines and was stationed there. When I turned four, we moved to Bridgewater, Massachusetts where life was simple, but at the same time it wasn't." She explained softly.

"As I began to get older, things at home heated up. My dad wasn't very good at not letting his military life enter his family life and he had a tendency to have a short temper when it came to anything even remotely close to disobedience…especially after I had found a love for cars and dance." Sly's ears perked up at the last sentence and he glanced at her once more. "My father started telling me that the dance I was interested in was for hoodlums and would get me into trouble and I suppose it did." She sighed, leaning her back against the dashboard as she crossed her arms over her chest. "My only escape and defense came from my cousin, especially after my mother just…disappeared one day."

She could easily see she had caught the interest of the gang as Sly had sat up straighter, Bentley had moved away from his computer and Murray kept shooting her glances out of the corner of his eye. "My dad blamed me for a long time, saying that she had left because of me…and I still kind of believe it…but just about a few weeks ago, when my dad dropped me off at the airport he handed me this," She paused long enough to pull the pocket watch from around her neck. "I feel like this is a huge key to all the answers I'm looking for, but I don't exactly know where to start."

"May I see it?" Jenna nodded and removed the chain from her neck, passing the piece over to Sly and watching as he tentatively flipped the watch in between his fingers as he examined it. He opened the watch, his eyes staring intently at the photo on the opposite side of the watch itself, "This is your family?" Jenna nodded and she sighed.

"My mom, dad and brother."

"He looks familiar…" Sly frowned, "Is your brother by any chance a cop?"

"Yeah…" Jenna nodded slowly. "Why?"

"Oh no reason," He answered quickly. He closed the watch before flipping it over onto its backside and he stared at the crest engraved into the metal for a long while before looking at Bentley. "Do you think you could look into this pal?"

The turtle nodded slowly before looking at the wolf. "Do you mind if I keep this for a little while?" He noticed her nod her head and he turned away from them, returning his efforts into his data crunching.

The car was silent for the remainder of the trip, the gang and their addition only stopping one other time before they reached their safe house a day later. During this time, Murray had gotten to know the wolf very well and immediately took a liking to her as she kept him company as he drove, telling him details about the states, but especially her love for cars. Murray loved cars, but he was rarely able to talk to Bentley and Sly about them as they did not share this interest with him, but they all had their own individual things that made them different from each other and it was kept them close. The two spent most of their time talking about cars and Jenna had openly admitted that he was very similar to her cousin's husband, of whom she respected very much and looked to as an older brother. Murray liked feeling important and Jenna was his best medicine.

There were moments during the drive where the conversation would branch out to include Sly and Bentley, but both were still sour about the failed heist. As the hours passed, however, both began to loosen up thanks to Jenna sharing an embarrassing story that included her as a pup and her mother's make up and her next door neighbor, who later turned out to be gay and admittedly Jenna's best friend. Bentley and Murray had especially found her wit to be amusing as she constantly shot at Sly when he had said something along the lines of flirting as it was obvious she was not exactly fond of them.

As they pulled into the small garage Sly and Murray began grabbing the equipment they had brought with them for the heist. Bentley stayed behind to tell Jenna what to grab and as the wolf came into view he motioned to the boxes next to him, a few in his own arms as well. "Those are the rest of the boxes that need to go in."

Jenna nodded, grabbing the boxes and frowning she could definitely tell that they had left the heavier of the boxes for her, whether it was done intentionally or not, she didn't know, but she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and grabbed the stacked boxes in her arms. After a little struggling with the boxes she managed to get them up the stairs of the safe house to see that Sly was already talking on the phone and speaking rapidly in what she could tell was Slovakian, Bentley and Murray were beginning to set up the turtle's computers and Jenna made her way towards them. Placing the boxes down, the wolf made her way to the kitchen and began to look around. There wasn't much help she could be and so she decided to look around and see what she could find to make them.

Looking around the safe house she could tell that three men lived here for certain, thanks to the _one _old and beaten up couch and the dishes that were left in the sink. Sighing she decided that her best bet was to look through the cabinets and the refrigerator. She quirked a brow at the scarceness of the kitchen and looked behind her at the three males incredulously. "How do three men live in a house and not be overstocked on food?" She questioned herself out loud with a frown. Shaking her head she stood and placed her hands on her hips and clearing her throat to gain Bentley and Murray's attention. "So first order of business, because I know you're not going to let me do anything else, we need to get food into this place."

"Murray what happened to the groceries you were supposed to have gotten?"

The hippo shuffled his feet sheepishly offering them a guilty smile. "I ate them before we left."

"It's no biggy…" Jenna sighed going back into the kitchen and writing down things she would need. "Murray, I don't know how you guys work, but it'll be easier for me to go out and get the groceries since you guys have wanted posters all around Paris." Bentley eyed her carefully, which did not go unnoticed to the wolf and she frowned. "I'm not going to do anything, but get food. You're welcome to send someone with me if you'd like."

"We're all going to need to be here to get this work done." Jenna snorted at the argument.

"We also need food if you guys are going to get anything done. I suspect you won't be able to do anything with an empty stomach and take out does not count as food." She smirked when the turtle closed his mouth. "Besides, Sly is on the phone and you're going to be data crunching again…why not have Murray drive me to the store and keep an eye on me if you're so suspicious."

"On one condition." Bentley smirked at her. "You have to wear an ear piece so I can hear what you're saying and to who."

Jenna crossed her arms. "Done." The turtle did a double take with how easily she accepted his terms. "But I'm going to need money and I doubt you're going to trust me with that either."

"That's correct." The reptile agreed. "I'll send Sly with you – you're going to need clothes anyway." The wolf nodded after a few moments of consideration and finished her list. A few moments later, the raccoon reentered the living area and looked at the three of them with a quirked brow.

"I'm doing what?"

"Sly, you're going to go with Murray and Jenna and go food shopping…Jenna seems to think that we're lacking on sustenance."

"And I really don't feel like wearing the same clothes all the time." Jenna added with a smirk at the crestfallen look that had fixed to the raccoon's features.

"You've gotta be kidding."

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"This is really good Jenna!"

The wolf stared at the three males from across the room with a smirk twitching at her lips. Sly, Bentley and Murray had all taken up various positions in the living room with bowls of stir fry in their grasps. Sly, having learned that the wolf was shopping more specifically for food as opposed to clothes, had happily relieved a few people of their wallets to pay for the things that she would need and while Jenna was not exactly happy with his methods of making money, she did see the effectiveness to it. As soon as she had returned back to the safe house, Bentley had inspected everything she had bought and had observed her as she cooked to make sure she wasn't up to anything suspicious and Jenna had politely ignored him and to hear him approve of her cooking only swelled her pride.

"Geez, we should've gotten someone to cook for us a long time ago!"

"We haven't had anything this good in a home setting since Happy Campers."

Jenna quirked a brow at the three and shook her head. While they were out shopping, the wolf had stocked up on cleaning supplies. It was fair to say that this was legitimately their house even though from the outside it was considered abandoned. She had also forced Sly into picking out new linens for their beds as well as another futon couch. She had also managed to convince him to order a few other pieces of furniture, which she happily picked out for him when he had said he had no idea how to shop for furniture. She had convinced the manager that they would come and pick everything up when it came in from the warehouse.

She smirked to herself as she began to wash the dishes, the three males beginning to discuss their plans of attack when it came to tracking down the Clockwerk parts. She listened with one ear turned towards them in order to follow the conversation, but made it appear as if she was more focused on the task at hand.

"Sly you should continue to call in those favors, but it could get difficult with the contacts from Spain, Italy and Germany." She heard Bentley sigh. "We may have to use a translator and just contact them via email."

"But then you run the risk of being intercepted."

All three males turned their head to the wolf who had finished washing the dishes and was now staring at them. "The less interception you get the better off you're going to be."

"And you would know this how?" Jenna stared at the turtle and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My dad, two uncles, three cousins and brother are in law enforcement. Spending time within the squad room after school teaches you a lot." Sly stared at her, tracing her face and looking for any signs of any untruth, finding none he nodded.

"Okay then…do you speak any languages?"

"Spanish and Italian aren't hard." She answered with a shrug, "there's only a few differences within the language and I can speak enough German to get me by."

Sly turned to Bentley and smirked. "She's looking better and better the more she's around."

"I've only been around for almost three days now."

"And already making progress!" Murray smiled widely and high fiving the raccoon as he moved forward and scooped the wolf off of the ground. Jenna couldn't help but laugh as the hippo's energy was transferable. Bentley shook his head and sighed.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Murray stopped mid twirl with Jenna hanging over his shoulder with her finger pinching Sly's ear tightly between her fingers. "She can help out, but not without someone around and watching her!"

"I'm not a kid Bentley, but if it makes you feel better then sure." Jenna rolled her eyes, releasing Sly's ear in the process as Murray placed her on her feet. "Now, while you guys start doing your thing, I'm going to get this place looking like a normal house."

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I enjoyed writing this teehee :) Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed - remember friends, reviews are lovely and appreciated

xoxo  
timexgone23!


	4. New Instruction and Negotiations

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note: **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 4 :) Sorry this one was a little late – I was trying to brainstorm where exactly I wanted to take this chapter, but easily managed…surprisingly. Anyway, in new news, I'm almost done with the chapter for _Songs of the Sea_ for those who read that story as well, and I've actually begun to rewrite my Jak and Daxter story entitled _Banging on Trash Cans _because it's terribly written and the plot is all over the place – that will be done on the side and whenever I feel up to it, but know that it is being rewritten ;D! Uber excited haha. Also, I just nearly had a heart attack with the way the administrators remade the site so now you can put story covers on the stories! EPIC! So the picture you see above as the story icon is a picture I drew of Jenna – I'll try and blow it up and link it so you can see a bigger version, but it took many long hours of watching _Balto_ and studying pictures of Carmelita in order to figure out how to draw an animal that's personified :P Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Just a side note: If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure! And if anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;) And FINALLY, if you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. She has an amazing plot so far (and only in 2 chapters) and I highly recommend it :) go and check them out! As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 3: _BananaBomb, boona, Silver Levi, GraNNIeShufflex03 _and _Why Fireflies Flash:_

_BananaB0mb: _Thanks so much for your review! And heehee…there always is the possibility ;) No worries though, you'll eventually find out throughout the story lol. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_boona: _LOL thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! Yeah, Jenna is purposely more calculating when it comes to problem solving (take a wild guess what her favorite subject in High School was ;D) as well as when she fights – thanks to her dad surprisingly enough :P Anyway, thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter :D

_Silver Levi: _Haha that's okay :) No worries! I'm glad you liked the updates haha, yeah – my dad's a mechanic so I know a little about cars, but not enough to actually hotwire one (and OMGosh I WISH I could do it too lol!) and after watching _Transformers_ and seeing Megan Fox working on cars I was kinda like "that's going in my story it's epic" lol. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter :D

_GraNNIeShufflez03: _Haha YAY! I'm glad it's getting better and better (believe it or not, correcting your chapters and reading your fight scenes inspires a lot lmfao ;D) and no, lol, believe it or not her name was inspired by Jenna from Balto…I was watching the movie when I named her – but Jenna Marbels is hysterical ;D LMAO Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter chica! Xoxo

_Why Fireflies Flash: _Ahahaha! I missed reading your reviews (seriously – not writing my PoTC story is driving me mad D'=) And haha, I seriously do love the game play – despite how graphically terrible it is, it's just so much fun lol so I'm happy I rekindled your inspiration for playing it again lmao! And I'm so happy you're enjoying the story :D Thanks for your review (as always it appears lol!) and I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well!

Your loving Authoress,  
timexgone23

******************IMPORTANT** **NOTICE**:******************  
It was brought to my attention by _Razor of DOOM _that the name _Crimson Reeves_ has been used before in another story. Know that I was unaware of this and for respect of any other story that has used this name I have changed her name to "Crimson Fletcher" - the first name of her thieving alias is imperative for the third story therefore that will remain the same. Again, I was unaware of this and have changed the name of my OC :) So thank you _Razor of DOOM _for catching this error - it was not intended to be a "borrowed" name from anyone else but my little sister who had created her. Again, I apologize for this misconception :) I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Thanks!

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
04_

Jenna sighed as she hung up the phone. She and Sly had been making calls to their list of contacts for the last day and a half and neither had come across anything valuable, however, one of the Cooper gang's French contacts had agreed to getting more information to them within the next few days with the assurance that Sly would rendezvous with them during one of their heists. The raccoon had anxiously agreed and had told Bentley of his findings.

"Sly do you think that's really a good idea?"

The raccoon leaned against the wall, watching the turtle and wolf closely as Murray had run out to pick up parts for the van. Jenna and Bentley shared a look that said they both agreed with one another which, within the last few days had been surprising to see. "We don't have much of a choice here Bentley."

"I dunno Sly," Jenna frowned softly. "As much as I don't care for what you guys do here, it just _screams_ bad news."

The raccoon stared at the wolf, a smirk forming at his lips as he looked at Bentley. "You're not going to like this pal, but I think I'm gonna need back up for whatever Louie has planned." He gestured to the wolf with his hand and the turtle sighed. It had been something that the two had been speaking back and forth about – Sly lobbied that if she was going to be hanging around, the most they could do is give her a chance to pull her own weight, realizing that having her simply cook and clean wasn't exactly fair to her. However, Bentley was against the idea completely. It was obvious the turtle didn't trust her as far as he was able to throw her, which – given his size – wasn't all that far.

"Sly…"

"C'mon pal, we're limited on man power here. And if it makes you feel better we'll outfit with a tracer."

The reptile seemed to consider this for a moment before he sighed. "Alright, but you're gonna have to train her."

"Um…" Jenna paused, "_Train her_? You mean…"

"Jenna you're gonna be put out into the field with Sly for the job he has to do to get the information on the Klaww Gang he needs." Bentley informed her. "Now Jenna, what do you consider to be a strength of yours?"

The wolf seemed confused as she looked to Sly, who was openly smirking, and back to Bentley. "Um…in high school I ran track and field…I dance, do gymnastics and have a knack for mechanics?"

"She also admitted to sneaking out of her house and out of detention Bentley."

Jenna shot a glare to Sly who's smirk only widened into a smug grin. The turtle seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding his head. "This could work. Give me a few hours and I'll have stuff ready for you. In the meantime, take Jenna out and teach her the basics she'll need for this heist."

The raccoon nodded before looking to the wolf with a large smirk. "Alright Jenny, get into something comfortable and meet me outside."

"It's Jenna." She corrected quickly with a deep frown, shooting the smug raccoon a deep glare before making her way to the room they had given her. She changed out of her sweatpants into a pair of thick black stretch pants, fitting her legs snugly as to avoid catching on anything if she was given chase and a black three quarter sleeved, scoop neck top. Much to Sly's chagrin she had lobbied very strongly for her TOMS and refused anything else, though after a small negotiation he had convinced her that a pair of stealth boots would be beneficial for certain jobs and she had reluctantly agreed. The wolf fastened the belt that Bentley had outfitted with basic necessities such as a lock-pick kit and a few empty pouches. She quickly tied her long hair into a messy bun and then put her gloves over her small hands. Everything she wore was thanks to Sly's pocket so she couldn't complain. The raccoon had explained that this would be her thieving outfit and the buckle was specially made with a symbol to show that it was her, as every member of the gang got.

Stepping outside she noticed Sly peering through his binocucom, his hand anchoring him half way up a pipe that ran up the side of the safe house. He scanned the area before placing his binocucom in his leg pouch. Sly stared at her for a few moments, taking in her appearance and he had to cough to distract himself. The thieving outfit left much to the imagination and framed her thin frame perfectly. She had informed him that things around her neck made her nervous and claustrophobic, he had then realized that that was why she had been thrashing against him a few days ago. Though she was thin, she wasn't unattractive and especially so for her breed.

"So what's first?"

The raccoon was happy for the distraction and cleared his throat. "First thing's first, how well can you climb?"

Jenna looked at the pipe he was standing near, the moonlight casting a soft glow about the area and illuminating the streets enough for her to see without the need of any type of flashlight. She placed her hands on the pipe before pulling herself up and using her feet to help her climb. As she reached the roof she placed her foot on the side and hauled herself up. She leaned over the side and smirked at the raccoon, "I think I got the hang of that."

Sly chuckled, placing his cane between his teeth before climbing his way up the pipe and standing on the roof next to the wolf. He took notice of how at ease she appeared as she surveyed the area carefully and the raccoon got the feeling that this was something she was unaware of, yet held in her subconscious that was a natural instinct. She briefly looked at him and he leaned on his cane. "Alright so the one thing that I was taught to look for thanks to my family was what we call _thieving opportunities_." He began to explain. "Ledges that you can manage to shuffle across are things that we specifically look for."

"Like that over there?" Sly looked to where she had pointed and noticed a circular ledge that had enough space to allow one of his abilities to move across. When the raccoon nodded she frowned. "Why do you need to look for those?"

"It makes it easier than trying to jump across ledges that are too far apart." He answered patiently. "Like that ledge over there," he pointed at an apartment building that had two balconies that were far away from one another. "A distance like that is near impossible to jump across, even for the most experienced of thieves, so looking for ledges that can help you pass between the distance safely will help you during a heist." He watched her as she nodded in understanding.

"Okay, so between great distances you need to look for these thieving opportunities…" Jenna stated more to herself. "So what else do I have to know?"

"Well before we do anything else, you're going to have to learn how to scale the distance as quietly as possible." Sly chuckled. "It's not easy and it's probably your best bet if you're ever on the run and in need of a decent spot to hide in."

"Doesn't it also leave you more prone to attacks?"

The raccoon looked down at her in surprise. "It does, but it's a fifty, fifty shot." He stated slowly. "Your number one bet is always to get out of there as quickly as you can, but in the event you have someone on your tail and you can't really shake them – scaling the side of the wall and trying to blend into the shadows is your next bet." He smiled when Jenna nodded in understanding. It was refreshing to have another mind out in the field with him, especially one that offered the same if not more than he could. "Now since you're made to be flexible, thanks to the knowledge of you doing gymnastics and dance, this is going to make it a lot easier for you. All you have to do is consider the ledge like a thin balance beam – the only difference being that you have something to lean against. The issue you're going to run into is how much weight to balance and how much surface area of your foot you can use." He explained, "Standing in one spot is easy, but moving can be your worst enemy if you lose your footing."

"Because it'll make noise and you can fall off."

"Right." Jenna nodded before following after the taller male as he turned towards a ledge and lowered his weight. "Now, you're going to have to get a running start in order to make it from the roof to that ledge. Starting off hard is the best way to helping you understand how it works." He took a deep breath before rushing forward, mid-movement he jumped into the air and tilted his body forwards so that he was heading to the ledge face first. As he hit the side of the roof he landed on his hands before pushing off once more to cover the remaining distance. While in the air he spun himself so that his back was facing the desired ledge and he landed on the balls of his feet, using his arms to brace him to the wall as the motion he had obtained was suddenly stopped. He then looked up from the ledge he was balanced on and nodded to her. "Alright your turn! This is a great time to utilize any knowledge of gymnastics you can."

Jenna nodded to show she understood before taking a deep breath. Instead of lowering her stance like Sly had, she pointed her left foot in front of her and rolling her arms around their sockets before bouncing lightly. She looked at the distance from where she stood to the edge of the roof and nodded to herself before pushing off of her right leg. As she got closer to the edge she used the chimney as a propeller and flipped off of it, copying the movement she had seen Sly do only moments before and spinning herself with the airtime she got. As she landed on the ledge she felt Sly's arm reach across her as she stumbled slightly in order to help her regain her balance.

"A little rough on the landing, but the use of the chimney was brilliant." He complemented her with a smile and Jenna took a deep breath before returning the smile.

"Thanks, so what's next?"

Sly motioned to his feet. "Use the balls of your feet, kind of like a ballerina points and while leaning your body back, shuffle to your left or right. Your best friend right now is the wall behind you." Jenna nodded as she watched him begin to move around the wall and she followed slowly, being very mindful of his words and where her feet were. As her feet hit the rooftop she sighed in relief and looked up to see Sly smirking at her. "So that's one of the harder things to master, but like I said before, it's not necessary all the time. It just helps you reach great distances. But here's something that you're going to need to matter what –" Jenna looked to where he was pointing with his cane to see a string of lights connected between the roof they stood on currently and the next roof over. "These lines are what're going to save you when you're on the run – rooftops being your new best friend."

"Why the rooftops?"

"Well," Sly gestured that she follow him to the edge of the roof before crouching and motioning to a small cluster of rats and toads down the street. "Foot patrols make the streets themselves extremely difficult to maneuver, but judging by how well you already know how to fight I'm sure you could work the streets well enough." He shrugged. "But avoiding detection is something that becomes an art. Each member of our gang – being only myself, Bentley and Murray – has a specific specialty. Bentley is a gizmo wiz and our demolitions expert, and carries a crossbow loaded with sleep darts in order for him to sneak by enemies. Given his size it works best for him when on a job. Murray is brute strength and can easily fight off multiple thugs at once. Considering his size, out of the three of us, he makes the most noise and so where he lacks in stealth he makes up for in his strength. I'm the stealth out of the three," He explained. "Coming from a master thieving family makes it very easy for me to sneak up behind thugs to take them out without them ever knowing it was me in the first place, but where I have stealth and speed…I lack strength like Murray's in a fight."

"Could've fooled me," Jenna remarked sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. Sly only smirked at her.

"Given what I've seen so far from you, I'd have to say that your flexibility and speed are what're going to save you at the end of the day." Jenna quirked a brow at him and he chuckled. "Since you're so thin it also helps you with being light on your feet, which is good out here because you don't draw too much attention and being that you have the background in gymnastics is going to make rooftops a cake walk for you." He explained. "Just based off of the fight we had back in Libya, I could tell that you weren't that strong when it came to the actual hits you threw, but with how fast you reacted and how you were able to calculate my movements…it's a _huge_ plus!"

He smirked as she blushed slightly, "Thanks."

"Trust me, you're gonna be worth having on the team." Sly reassured her. "If you were able to sneak passed me without waking me up right away then you're definitely a step ahead of the game."

"What tipped you off that I had gotten out anyway?" Jenna inquired as she tilted her head, a habit he noticed that she had when asking questions.

"The shower turning on was the biggest indicator." He admitted with a smirk. "I had heard the lock on the bathroom door, but I wouldn't think that you would take a shower with me in the room." His smirk widened when she blushed again. "You obviously didn't trust me, so why put yourself in a compromising position?"

"Touché."

"Anyway, back on track here." Sly chuckled. "Have you ever had to walk across a line before?" When Jenna shook her head he sighed slightly. "Okay, there's really nothing to it. All you really have to do is find a way to balance on the rope itself. Once you do that it's easy."

"Okay…so how do I do it?"

Sly motioned for her to follow him, stepping onto the line and walking backwards with his hands towards her. "C'mon," He reassured her. "It'll be easier if I show you this way so that you can balance." The wolf stared at him suspiciously before taking a few steps towards him. "I won't let you fall, I promise." She didn't look too convinced by the statement, tentatively reaching her hands out to take his own so that he could help her maintain balance. "The whole trick is to not look down." Jenna's eyes immediately turned from the ground to him with a frown. "Just look at me okay? I'm not going to steer you wrong." When she nodded slowly he smiled. "Now, in order to learn how to walk on a rope or a line you need to be able to feel the rope. Looking at it isn't going to help you because the more you look at the rope the less you focus on your footing and your balance."

Jenna gulped, she felt completely exposed as she allowed Sly to lead her further out on the line. The feeling of not having anything sturdy beneath her was both invigorating and absolutely terrifying to her, but she did as instructed and looked only at the ringtail before her. She took the time to observe him.

He was incredibly handsome; his features very chiseled and defined, but with a soft roundness that made him appear his age and not a year older or younger. She could tell by the fitted blue and yellow turtleneck he wore that he was very fit with board shoulders and a lean torso that aided him in half of his thieving moves. Around his waist was a yellow belt similar to the orange one she wore with his family's insignia as the buckle. His matching blue boots reached up to his knees with his pants bloused over them slightly as he had tucked the ends into the confines of his boot and around his leg was his red pouch. Atop of his unruly hair he wore a blue paperboy hat that was worn around the brim and made her wonder how long he had had it. Her eyes, however, were drawn to his. They were a bright, tawny brown that stood out from his dark fur and sparkled when he smiled and expressed his every emotion so clearly it made the wolf's head reel.

"There you go…" Sly encouraged her with a smile. "Now, I'm going to step back. With every step I take back, you take one forward okay?" Jenna nodded slowly and his smile softened. "Then when I take a step forward, trace passed your planted foot for the line. Once you find it place your weight down on it. The trick is to balance on both of your feet, but depending on which way you're walking you want to distribute it seventy-five and twenty-five."

"Okay." Jenna nodded. Sly took a tentative step backwards, very mindful of that fact that she was uncomfortable and he guided her carefully. As she placed her foot down on the line she began to wobble slightly and Sly took a step forward to create an anchor for her to regain her balance.

"You're doing good so far Jenna," He stated softly, "Just remember the percentage I gave you. When you place your foot down you don't want to immediately transfer all of your body weight otherwise you'll fall. The only time you do that is if you're moving quickly across the line." Jenna nodded, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly as she regained her confidence. Sly took another step away from her when he was sure she had her balance before taking another step back, to which she stepped forward. Unlike the last time she seemed to have figured out the tilt of her body and Sly took another step back.

The two continued the motions back and forth, forward and backwards for a long while before Sly was confident she had mastered the feel of the rope. "Great! Now, I'm going to take a step back and I want you to let go of me okay?" He noticed immediately the panic in her eyes and offered her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, if I see you lose your balance I'll be right here to anchor you again." The wolf nodded, taking another deep breath and letting go of the raccoon as he took another step away from her. The raccoon watched as she felt the rope beneath her, keeping her eyes forward and on him before offering her a smile. "When you're ready, take a step towards me."

Gulping the lump in her throat, Jenna did as instructed making mental notes about her posture and about the ratio Sly had given her for her balance. This continued for a few minutes before Sly returned in front of her and smirked. "Why are you smirking at me?"

"You've done good with being able to see, but there will be times when you have to rely completely on your other senses." The raccoon began, taking out a blindfold from his leg pouch and stepping closer to her. If the wolf had been comfortable enough on the rope she would have taken a step back, but given that Sly was much more used to this than she was, she doubted she would have made it very far. The raccoon was surprisingly gentle, tying the blindfold around her eyes tight enough to prevent her from seeing, but loose enough so that she wasn't uncomfortable. "Alright," He began as he moved away from her and slowly off of the rope. "Now, when you're ready, move in which ever direction you'd like."

Jenna took a deep breath, closing her eyes behind the blindfold and relying solely on her senses to help her through this test. She slid her foot passed the one she had planted, shifting her weight forward as she began to walk along the rope. This system had taken the raccoon a while to help her grasp, the two spending a good hour alone on just rope walking. Jenna gasped as she felt herself falling and immediately flailed her arms in an attempt to slow down her air time, only to feel someone catch her, cradling her bridal style.

"You okay there?"

Jenna pulled up the blindfold and stared at the raccoon's smug smirk and she blushed deeply in embarrassment. "Uh…y-yeah."

"Well good news is that you made it across the line before you fell, the bad news is that you walked right off of the post the line was tied to." Sly chuckled. "All in all, you defiantly passed my inspection." Jenna sighed in relief and his chuckle turned into a carefree laugh that made the wolf blush deeper. "Let's head back to the safe house and see what we can do about getting you set with equipment."

Jenna nodded slowly as the raccoon placed her on her own feet and led her back to the safe house. She couldn't begin to explain the feelings she was currently experiencing because everything that Sly had just taught her felt so…natural. She frowned deeply as she followed the ringtail into the small house, making her way into the living room where Murray was playing a video game, to which Sly had immediately grabbed a controller and began to play with him. She smiled slightly at the sight of the two friends arguing and trash talking as they battled one another and soon drawing the attention of Bentley, who was suckered in to play.

It was beginning to look like things were going to be changing for the wolf. Slowly, but surely.

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"_Nessun accordo(1)_." Jenna frowned as she twirled the cord around her finger to the phone. Sly was watching her with his feet propped up on the coffee table that he and Murray had picked up from the store that the wolf had bought their furniture from. The wolf was in the middle of speaking negotiations with their contact from Italy, a woman by the name of "Crimson Fletcher", a thief who had helped him out when he and the gang had first started out. Looking around he had to say that the place looked much more homey, the wolf had fixed the television and rearranged their entire living room. The small home looked much nicer since Jenna had gotten her hands on it then it had ever looked when it was the three of them. His brow quirked as she pulled the phone away from her ear, "She wants a guarantee of three thousand coins." Jenna placed the receiver back to her ear and sighed, "_Un momento por favore? Grazie. (2)_"  
(1: No deal.)  
(2: One moment please? Thank you.)

The raccoon looked to his two comrades and quirked a brow, "What do you think guys?"

Bentley looked to the wolf who stared at them with a tired look. "Could you ask her how she plans on having us pay her?" The wolf nodded slowly before clearing her throat.

"_Come vi propongo di trasferire il pagamento a voi (3)?_" She was silent for a few moments, muttering, what the gang assumed was affirmative statements as she kept saying "_sí_". After a few moments, Jenna pulled the receiver away from her ear once more. "She suggests wire transfer if you're willing to go through with the deal." She frowned, placing the phone to her ear once more as Crimson began to speak again. Sighing she turned her eyes back to the gang. "She also says that you owe her for Florence, I'm assuming that you know what that means, and said that this would be sufficient means to return that favor."  
(3: How do you propose we transfer the payment?)

"Tell her that she could steal her own money if that's what she really wanted," Sly frowned as he leaned forward, making sure his voice was heard through the receiver. One thing Jenna came to notice that when it came to negotiating and speaking to contacts the normally carefree and mirthful raccoon became much more serious. "If she wants to make a deal we'll offer her a sizeable shipment of rare artwork that she could do with as she pleases."

She looked to Bentley and Murray to see that they were watching very intently and she was surprised that neither had protested. It was clear that in situations like this that Sly's decisions were the ones that mattered whereas the other two took the lead on other things, this was clearly Sly's expertise. Nodding slowly she returned the receiver to her ear and relayed what Sly had said in Italian. "_Il mio__socio__dice che__se si trattasse di__soldi che__erano disponibili dopo__poteva__rubare__te stesso.__Egli può__, __tuttavia,__offrono__pezzi rari di__arte__che si potrebbe__fare con__come ti pare_... _se volete un__affare. (4)_"  
(4: My partner says that if it's money you were after, you could steal it yourself. He may, however, offer rare pieces of art that you could do with as you please ... if you want a bargain.)

Sly waited patiently for the response, thankful that Jenna was calm with speaking to one of the most dangerous crime lords in Italy. Crimson Fletcher was a good friend of his father and had promised him that if Sly needed anything that he needed to get in contact with her. Crimson was a bright orange wolverene with bright red hair that gave her the name "Crimson". However, despite the assumed nickname she had adopted over the years he had come to find out that Crimson Fletcher was only an alias - her real identity remaining unknown. She was extremely helpful in aiding Sly and the gang with a small outfit and a small profit to get them off of their feet when they had managed to leave their orphanage when Sly had finally gotten old enough. She had become a role modle to the raccoon, but when it came down to negotiations it was strictly business and she often spoke in her native language which only made it more difficult for him to communicate with her unless it was via email. Her French was very limited as was her other knowledge of languages as she normally left the linguistics up to her partner, Carlos.

"She wants to know how much money these pieces are worth."

Sly nodded and turned to Bentley who was already looking over the paintings that they had stolen over the last few months or so. The turtle calculated the amount quickly before looking to the raccoon. "How many do you want to send Sly?"

"It's a sizeable shipment," He answered. "Giving her one or two is not going to make her happy and she's not exactly someone that I'd want angry at me...give her the lot."

"But Sly!" Bently frowned, though his glasses hid his eyes it was obvious his eyes were wide. "This entire lot costs over 18Ks!"

"Then that's what we'll give her." Sly nodded before turning his eyes to Jenna who was waiting patiently. "Tell her that there's six total that are worth eighteen thousand coins all together." The wolf quirked a brow and nodded slowly, ignoring Bently who threw his arms up in exasperation, the hippo chuckling as he watched his friend, a coloring book and crayons spread out in front of him.

"_Abbiamo sei__pezzi in__totale che__vale la pena di__diciotto__mila__monete. (5)_" After a few moments Sly heard the wolverene chuckling through the phone, seeming pleased. "It's a deal." Sly smirked as the wolf went back to listening to the crimson haired theif. "_In cambio__l'opera d'arte__ci aspettiamo che__ti__contenere fino__al__termine__del contratto? (6)_" Sly furrowed his brow as she began speaking words that he hadn't told her. By the tight furrow of her brow she was listening closely before a smirk twitched at her lips "She says that we're guaranteed her end of the bargain by whatever we need." She stated before returning her attention to the phone. "_Che ne sai__della_ Klaww Gang? (7)" As the raccoon heard the other voice begin speaking she quickly grabbed a pen and a pad that Bentley had been writing on before quickly jotting down what Crimson Fletcher was telling her, ignoring the turtle's indignant outburst. She paused in her writing and pinched the spot between her brows in exasperation. "_Siamo stati__messi al corrente__delle parti _Clockwerk _furto__e il nostro__unico vantaggio__è sul _Klaww Gang_. __Stavamo__cercando un posto__per avviare e__visto che__siamo__in Francia,__abbiamo pensato__di iniziare__locale__sarebbe stato il nostro__colpo migliore_. (8)" She was silent for a few moments before beginning to write down different notes that the wolverene was telling her, her expression serious as she finished taking notes. "Okay,_glielo dirò__. __Grazie__per il vostro aiuto__. __Arrivederci. (9)_"  
(5: We have six pieces in total worth eighteen thousand coins)  
(6: In exchange for the artwork we expect that you'll hold up to your end of the bargain?)  
(7: What do you know of the Klaww Gang?)  
(8: We were made aware of the Clockwerk parts being stolen and our only lead is on the Klaww Gang. We were looking for a place to start and seeing as we're in France we figured starting local would be our best shot.)  
(9: Okay, I'll tell him. Thanks for your help. Bye.)

As she hung up the phone the three males looked at her questionably. "So what just happened? We didn't tell you to say anything else."

She rolled her eyes dropping her pen back on the desk. "I just sealed the deal with Crimson and asked her what she knew about the Klaww Gang and the local operative."

"And?" She turned her eyes to the three males and sighed in exasperation at the raccoon and pulled her pad off of the desk.

"The Klaww Gang's local operator is Dimitri, a sort of - underworld celebrity. Equally at home in high class art circles and shady back alley crimes," She began, looking over her notes. "According to what intel Crimson had, he was once a passionate art student who worked hard to develop his own visionary style. Unfortunately, the art world wasn't quite ready for his _Kinetic Esthetic_." She chuckled at the look on the gang's faces and she smiled at them. "My thoughts exactly, but anyway, since they weren't quite ready for his…_style_, he gave them what they wanted, and started forging old masterpieces, his way of punishing those with bad taste. Dimitri now runs a night club on the West Side. The thumping music, the colorful lightshows and a hint of danger lure in chic young patrons from far and wide." She looked up and stared at the guys and sighed.

"Did she say what part he had?" Bentley inquired patiently as he stared at her carefully. Jenna nodded slowly in response.

"She said that within his Nightclub, hidden somewhere, is where we'll find the Clockwerk tail feathers." The wolf scratched herself behind her ear and dropped the pad back on the table. "That's all she was able to give me."

"She really had no problem giving you the information?" Sly inquired slowly with a quirked brow, his brow arching higher when the wolf shook her head. "That's…_surprising_."

"She did ask me to tell you that you need to stop by the next time you're in Florence." The wolf shrugged. "She didn't really give me much more to go on, but she said you'd know what she meant." When Sly nodded she stretched in her seat before looking at the three members of the gang and Murray sighed.

"Did Ms. Crimson say what he was using the parts for?"

"No…she didn't know that much."

Bentley looked to the raccoon who had cradled his chin in his hand as he thought about what Jenna had said. "Would you have any idea Sly?" The raccoon shook his head in reply and frowned deeply.

"What Dimitri plans to do with the Clockwerk part is beyond me," He said slowly before looking at the three other faces in the room, "but those plans end tonight."

* * *

Sorry for all the mishaps with translations :P I didn't want you to wait for what she was saying until the end because, as neat as it would make the story itself, I personally get annoyed when I have to scroll all over the place lol.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed and feel free to drop me any comments, suggestions or feedback you have! Remember reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update :D

Also, for those who haven't checked - when the administrators redid the site, they turned off my PM functions so if you haven't checked I would go do that so you can send and recieve your PMs :)

xoxo,  
timexgone23


	5. A Little Improvision: Identity Revealed

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note: **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 5. Sorry for the longer wait in an update, my home life got a little crazy lol :) Anyway, I'm going to keep this nice and short for all of you so that you can get right into the nitty-gritty. Just a few announcements before I let y'all go: First, to those who read my _Pirates of the Caribbean_ story – an update will be arriving shortly! My writer's block finally lifted and I'll have that chapter out later today…yay! Secondly, to those who have read or just stumbled into my _Lord of the Rings_ story, you'll notice it's no longer there…that's right. I deleted it because I was beginning to absolutely _detest_ the way I had written it and found it to be a huge insult to one of my favorite writers of all time (side note: I grew up on the _Hobbit _and _Lord of the Rings _trilogy so I was embarrassed by how I wrote it lol). Anyway I will be remaking that story as well – making some edits and probably rewriting it when I have the time. Finally, _Banging on Trash Cans_ will also be deleted at one point and substituted for the same title, however, a slightly different plot line as I realize that Saiyana is exceptionally Mary-Sue and it bothers me to read…that should be out sometime later this summer lol :D

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. She has an amazing plot so far (and only in 2 chapters) and I highly recommend it :) go and check them out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 4**: _BananaB0mb, Deags, Razor of DOOM, GraNNIeShufflex03, boona, Aryabloodlust _and _Why Fireflies Flash:_

_BananaB0mb: _Haha thanks! I'm always a person for subtly ;) And it's just fun writing Sly's character – since he's a flirt in general it makes it very easy to write those scenes where he throws in the sarcastic remarks and the suggestive comments (which we all know he would actually say if the game weren't rated E 10+ lol). Anyway thanks for your review and I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter – hopefully now that we're into the first heist you'll enjoy it just as much lol ;D

_Deags: _Haha absolutely no problem, like I say at the end of all of my chapters: reviews are appreciated, but not mandatory – I just enjoy to write lol :D And wow…I'm actually quite speechless at that. Thank you so much for the amazing complements – as we all know keeping cannons in character are always a challenge, especially when writing an abnormal pairing with a cannon that's already meant to have a pairing…and even harder to keep our OCs in check without them becoming too Mary-Sue or getting too out of hand within in the plotline. But again, thank you so much for the review. I really appreciate the nice words of encouragement haha, it's always nice to know that you're on the right track. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well, and don't worry, I'll have my eye out for your updates! :)

_Razor of DOOM: _Again I can't thank you enough for letting me know about that name haha. And I'm glad you enjoyed the last few chapters and will enjoy this next chapter as well. Thanks for your review :D

_GraNNIeShufflez03: _(adopts a british accent) Thank you, why thank you – you are simply too kind haha! But in all seriousness, yeah some bonding time where she doesn't try to kill him was definitely in order lol. Jenna is very temprimental and I try to keep it that way on purpose…I've had to do a lot of research into how wolves generally act and I'm trying to keep it as close as possible haha. And oh, I'm glad to have inadvertently helped you with a block lol, and yes…Crimson Fletcher is going to play a huge part in the sequel (Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves). Anyway thanks for your review as always and I hope you enjoy this chapter too mate ;D xoxo

_boona: _Haha thanks for your review as always :D

_Aryabloodlust: _Haha thanks so much for your review, as hoped upon, here is another update ;) I hope you enjoy!

_Why Fireflies Flash: _Oh geez, I definitely don't miss those lol. Good luck with them and I'm sure you'll do fine! And, of course, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed their interactions and yes, Crimson will become a huge power player in the sequel to this story – while mentioned briefly she is important and haha, Jenna isn't all that scared of anyone…that you know of yet lol ;) (SPOILER sorry!). Anywho, the Pirate's update should be up within the next few hours into tomorrow at the latest! I finally broke my writer's block and so I'm on a roll now lol. And YAY! I'm happy to have done it, but I totally understand – school work definitely comes first and I seriously do wish you the best of luck on them. Testing is NEVER fun and it does terrors to authors as it causes writer's block to the max. Anyway, thank you, as always, for your review and as wished for – here is an update! Hope you enjoy it lol!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

**Oh! Before I forget! **I changed around part of one of the jobs so do not be alarmed that it is much different than you probably remember seeing. I did that on purpose in order for you to see Jenna more in action than not. Again, this was done intentionally so do not be alarmed!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves_

_05_

_Pop!_

Bentley glared at the carefree wolf that sat a few feet away from him. The turtle was set up with his five monitors, each one color coded – a blue, pink, green and orange one with a traditional grey in the center – and hooked up to each member's binocucom. He had been typing the last few minutes with a headset adjusted to fit his ears, the wolf simply watching him and the monitors in boredom.

_Pop!_

Jenna smirked as he flinched at the sound of her gum popping loudly. The wolf was confined to the safe house only during the duration of their heist which included the reconnaissance work. Since the culprit to her confines was, in fact, the turtle she decided that she would annoy him until he gave her something to do. It was the least she could do since he had convinced the raccoon that she couldn't be trusted yet and the least she could do until he lost his patience with her completely…at this point, it was whichever came first.

_POP!_

"Jenna!"

"_Yes _Bentley?"

The turtle narrowed his eyes at her smugly innocent look, blowing another bubble with her gum and popping it again for good measure. "Would you _please _stop popping your gum?"

"Oh am I _bothering _you?"

Sly, who had been preparing for his first job chuckled. "Ah Bentley don't let her bother you…maybe if you ignore her she'll go away."

"Yeah Bentley maybe I'll go away."

"One could only hope."

"Give me something to do and I'll leave."

The turtle turned towards her and shot her a deadpanned look, "You're not going anywhere…not without us keeping an especially close tab on you."

"Ya wanna tie a tracer to my neck and call me Sparky?" She remarked sarcastically, "Maybe I'll even do some tricks for ya."

"Only in my wildest dreams."

Jenna shot the raccoon a dirty look, taking the nearest object, being her shoe, and throwing it at him. Sly's laughter was the last thing she heard before the door closed. Turing her attention back to the reptile she sighed. "Look Bentley, give me something to do to prove to you that I can do this."

"If something comes up I'll consider it and not a moment sooner."

Jenna smirked, "See Bents, wasn't that hard now was it?"

The turtle watched as the smug wolf got up and walked away his eyes narrowed dangerously on her form. "Insufferable mutt."

"I heard that Bentley and I happen to know a pretty awesome recipe for _turtle stew_."

When silence greeted her ears she smirked, nodding to herself. _I win_. The wolf made her way up to her room. To say that she was miserable was a complete understatement. Bentley had managed to convince Sly that she wasn't needed for this heist and so she had been placed on lockdown. She had made it quite obvious how unhappy she was when she started using the side of the wall as a dartboard with a sharpened kitchen knife. Finding her then to be dangerous she had been confined to her room unless otherwise let out, this being one of the few moments she was aloud out – normally it was Murray or Sly who brought her food to her. Frowning she grabbed a tennis ball off of her small night table and flopped unceremoniously onto her bed.

She was no stranger to being grounded or being put on lockdown, but she had deemed this unnecessary. She was eighteen years old and a legal adult. There was no reason why she couldn't just escape and go back home. The reminder of her passport being back in Cairo had immediately crushed this idea like a battering ram to a glass vase. Running a hand through her hair she turned her eyes to her closet to see the one pair of harem pants she had managed to pick up and a smirk slowly began to twitch at her lips as a plan began to form.

Through the door she had been able to hear Bentley begin to rave on about the next phase of their mission and she leaned against it and pressed her ear flat to the door in order to hear better.

"Okay, fellas I've constructed a plan to get at the Clockwerk Tail Feathers, but we'll need to pull off a few more jobs to set things up for the heist. First, Sly will have to pick a few pockets in the theatre so that we'll have access to the spotlight control center. Once that's accomplished, we'll be able to turn off all security around the printing press. We'll need your muscle Murray to take out all the exterior alarm horns. We don't want anything to alert the guards while we pull off the big job. And finally, we'll need to get into the disco tech to drop this mirror ball." There was a pause and she was sure that Sly and Murray were sharing a similar look of confusion that she had on her face at the explanation. "Trust me; it's all part of the plan."

A wide smirk came to her lips as she quickly stripped of her clothes, tossing them underneath the covers with her duffle bag to make it appear she was actually sleeping. Quickly she changed into her black harem pants, a matching tank and a fitted leather jacket she had bought before pulling on her stealth boots – her combat boots still in Cairo. As quickly as she could she unlatched the window before sneaking out into the dark Paris streets.

It wasn't long until she reached the theater, thanks to the tips Sly had given her for the job she was supposed to do with him as a favor – that wound up never happening since Louie had been caught before they were supposed to help out – and she knocked on the back door. A large hog opened the door and stared down at her with his brow raised. "Can I help you?"

Jenna smiled casually and nodded. "Yes, I saw that you were looking for another dancer as a replacement on a flier in the newspaper and I was interested in the position."

"Can you dance?"

"Would I be here if I couldn't?"

The hog stared at the wolf suspiciously for a few moments before nodding slowly, stepping aside and allowing her to pass. She offered him a smile, thankful that listening to Sly speak French with Bentley and Murray had paid off (she noticed they did this when they didn't want her to know what they were talking about…she had failed to mention that she spoke more languages than just Italian, Spanish and German). The backstage area was packed with dancers and she smirked, making quick work of looking around. She soon came to find a dance group that she recognized from TV that had preformed on one of the shows she had watched frequently and her attention was soon drawn from them as a yell was heard.

"FINE DO IT YOURSELF!"

"I-I can't go up there without you!"

"I QUIT JOEL! DO YOU HEAR ME? QUIT!"

There was a loud slam and Jenna's ears flattened as she peered around the corner to see a cat sitting there with his head between his hands looking absolutely flustered. He was well built with the body of a dancer and was wearing a black pair of standard hip hop pants, red tank and a matching black and red cap on his head. He seemed to be on the receiving end of the screaming that had just transpired and she slowly walked up to him. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but hear the screaming."

"I'm sure you couldn't." The cat answered slowly, "Look, not to be rude, but could ya go away?"

"Are you looking for a partner?"

The cat looked up at her and frowned deeply, his yellow eyes narrowing slightly. "Can you dance?"

"I wouldn't be back here if I couldn't." Jenna answered with a smirk. "Jenna." She introduced, extending her hands towards him. The cat stared at her for a few moments before nodding.

"Joel."

"Well Joel, it appears as if you need a dance partner and I just so happen to not have one myself." Jenna smirked. "Would you do me the honors?"

"Please," Joel laughed. "You'd be doing me the favor."

"So what's the number?"

"We go on fifth…are you familiar with American hip hop?"

"Your seeming bad luck has brought you good karma." Jenna smirked. "I'm very familiar with the style."

"Great!" Joel smiled. "My partner and I were doing a recreation of Usher's _Yeah_, but now that she backed out it would be weird if I did it myself."

"Recreation as in the same dance?"

"We added a few moves to the beginning since there wasn't really a number for the opening and first chorus. The dance number in the middle of the song is the same though."

"Okay…I pick up really fast on moves so if you do it, I can follow it."

"Good to know." Joel smiled, scratching the back of his head. He wasn't a very tall cat by any means and was only a few inches taller than her five foot and two inches. "So you know the dance right?"

"The original choreography yes, I can easily follow you with the moves you and your partner worked on."

"Great!" The cat nodded. "You really are an angel Jenna!"

"Oh please, dancing is what I do and I'd happily help out a fellow dancer in need."

"Martinez you're on!"

"That's our cue…" Joel sighed. "You ready?"

Grabbing a baseball cap and tying her hair into a low ponytail she nodded with a smirk. "Born ready."

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"_**Okay Sly, there's the power boxes which route to the printing press area. To take care of them I'll need you to put a splice clip into those spotlights**_."

"Sorry Bentley, but those fans are spinning WAY too fast to walk on!" Sly whispered into his earpiece. The raccoon was meant to do this job while the theater was closed, but neither he nor Bentley were counting on them having a local talent search. He sighed, his eyes scanning the multiple people milled about within the theater and frowned. They had gone to Jenna's room to see if she needed anything, but there was no answer and them all being men did not exactly want to bother her if she was doing something…girly.

"_**They can be slowed down from that control panel...but you'll have to do a lot of pick pocketing to get at it. The guards are carrying special fragile keys that will be destroyed if you attack. Make sure you pickpocket their keys before you take those thugs out…you'll need to wait obviously, but see what you can do during the acts**_."

Sly didn't need to reply as he leaned against the balcony. He had quickly stolen a sweatshirt to put over his thieving outfit in order to keep himself as discreet as possible and his hat was safely tucked into his leg pouch. Each group went up and he watched in interest as a group of well known dancers opened the show. Then the theater got dark and he quirked a brow. The next thing he knew music pumped through the speakers to a hit he recognized as an American song and he watched as a cat appeared, dancing in time to the music. His eyes widened as another figure appeared, copying his movements in time with the second beat and he pulled out his binocucom to get a closer look.

"Bentley…you'll never believe who's here."

"_**I'm aware. We just checked her room and she was gone**_." The turtle did not sound happy at all and Sly had to chuckle in amusement. This girl was turning out to be more trouble than he had anticipated. "_**We'll let her have this one, but as soon as you're done try and get down there**_." Sly nodded and watched as the wolf and cat danced in perfect timing to each other and he narrowed his eyes in focus as the two began to dance in correlation to the original choreography. The raccoon didn't live under a rock despite what his two friends suggested and did study up on different dances just in case a heist ever required him to have to dance and this was one he recognized.

"She's actually really good." Sly commented with a smirk, knowing that Bentley couldn't see it. "I don't think we should be too angry with her; this could be useful."

"_**Sly, she's done nothing **_**but**_** cause problems since she's gotten here**_."

"That's not totally true." The raccoon smirked.

"_**It's because you think she's attractive**_."

"She's the epitome of everything I've ever wanted," Sly remarked sarcastically. "On a serious note Bentley, she could be useful to us…let her do something to prove herself and if we find that she's not worth it we'll leave her the means to get back to wherever she came from."

"_**You're too trusting Sly.**_" Bentley sighed through the earpiece. "_**Alright…I'll go along with it for now. But the moment she shows she's not worth it she's out.**_"

Sly returned his eyes to the dance and leaned forward, resting his arms on the balcony in front of him and watching as the two continued to dance. Taking a look around he noticed that no one else was paying attention to each other and he began his quick work of pick pocketing the keys Bentley had sent him into the theater to find in the first place. _This may just work out to my advantage…_

Jenna bobbed her head to the music as she danced. This is what she lived for. The feeling of moving to the beat of the bass and the freedom that came with it was better than any drug she could possibly get her hands on. The natural high that came with her favorite hobby was unlike anything else in the world and she literally lost herself in the music.

Twist, pop, turn, drop.

It was a synchronizing of movement that never became a routine no matter how many times she could do it within the choreography. She looked around the room under the brim of her hat and nearly stumbled as she noticed a familiar raccoon beginning to sleuth through the crowd, his focus on the hogs that were patrolling the area. Her brow furrowed underneath her hat as she watched him pick pocket the guard before moving on to the next one. She had heard of the Cooper gang through a few small newspaper clippings that appeared every once and a while back home, but the articles always spoke about the casualties that they left behind them. Ignoring the matter for the time being she continued with the dance.

_I just hope I can get out of here without him finding me._ Jenna thought to herself as she and Joel finished the dance. Running off stage she smiled, hugging Joel quickly who nodded to her with a grateful smile.

"You really did great!"

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."

"Thanks for your help Jenna…I'm sure Hurley will come back now that we've made it into the final round."

"No problem Joel." The wolf smiled. "Maybe when this is all over we can dance for real."

"I'd like that." The cat smiled genuinely before giving her another hug. The wolf decided that it was her best time to leave and so she took it. She bid the hog at the door a goodnight before racing out across the Paris rooftops. On her way, however, she was stopped.

"Hold it right there!" Jenna stopped mid-run on the roof to look at who had called her to see a light purple tigress staring at her questionably. Around her head she wore a deep red and golden scarf and donned a deep grey tank top that left her stomach exposed and a pair of shorts with combat boots. In her hand she held a whip that looked dangerous even with it being wrapped up in her hand. Her green optics glared at her slightly, her brow lifting. "You're not Cooper." The tigress stated, her accent thick. "But you do look familiar."

The wolf recalled Sly, Bentley and Murray speaking about a Constable Neyla while passing a picture of her around and she had no doubt that this tigress was the same law enforcer. In this moment she could do one of two things: first, she could lead the constable to the safe house and bust the Cooper gang, or she could play along for now. "Constable Neyla." She nodded in recognition.

"I don't recall knowing you."

"Jenna." The wolf introduced herself, her tone guarded and did not go unnoticed to the tigress. "You were the other officer leading the investigation back in Cairo."

"You must be a new member of the Cooper gang." She smirked, watching the wolf carefully.

"Something like that." Jenna frowned softly before quirking a brow. "So what do we owe this visit?"

"Oh please, I led you here."

The wolf's brow furrowed deeply as recognition flashed across her features. "So that Klaww Gang slip was a clue...why are you helping us out?" The law enforcer sighed softly.

"I'm not as black and white as Carmelita." The tigress answered. Jenna was familiar with many enforcers within Interpol thanks to the connections her father had and her brother as well. She had met the old fox only once and that was when her brother had been accepted into Interpol as intelligence. "I know what a menace those Clockwerk parts are and I don't want the likes of the Klaww gang putting them to use."

"So what?" Jenna frowned. "It takes a thief to catch a thief?"

"Something like that." Neyla nodded, "But if I'm going to trust you in this case I need to know that you can keep up...literally."

"Literally?"

"Don't fall behind."

The wolf only stared as the tigress ran off and it took a moment for her to register what the officer had said before she was running after her. She was aware that her earpiece was still in her ear and that the gang could probably hear everything that she and Neyla were saying. It felt good to run again, however, when it came to running across ropes and jumping off of the canopies of local shops she felt a little nervous. She kept good pace with Neyla, finding that the tigress wasn't all as fast as she seemed to be – mostly because she spent more time hitting things out of her way with her whip instead of going around them. As she ran she noticed that Neyla was leading her to the back of Dimitri's Nightclub and she smirked as she jumped from a platform next to the tigress, small pants working passed her lips.

"Well done." Neyla panted her compliment with a smile. "We should work well together."

"Glad you approve."

"May I ask what your last name is Jenna?"

The wolf quirked a brow at the tigress and shrugged. "I grew up with the last name Sheppard."

"That's why you look so familiar." The wolf quirked her head to the side in confusion, her one ear flattening, "Your mother…by any chance was her name Claudia?" Jenna nodded slowly a furrow pinching at her brow. "I was just looking over her case file yesterday – Claudia Genovese."

"I don't believe that." Jenna shook her head. "My mother's maiden name was Sumanitu-Taka." Neyla sighed softly.

"If you'd allow me to, I can take a hair sample and compare it to the sample I have of Claudia's."

After a few moments of consideration the wolf nodded and plucked a few strands of her hair and handed them off to Neyla, who put them into an evidence bag that all officers carried around before replacing it into her pockets. "Back to business," Jenna offered the tigress a smirk to express her agreement and bringing a sly smile to the constable's lips. "Now, legally I can't enter Dimitri's Nightclub without a warrant, but I happen to have obtained the key to his back door...which a person like yourself can use _how ever she pleases_."

The wolf chuckled, crossing her arms over her flat chest. "Oh, we're absolutely going to work well together."

Neyla handed Jenna the key she had obtained and offered the wolf a smile. "We'll meet tomorrow with the results. Good luck Jenna."

As the tigress made to walk away Jenna looked at her over her shoulder. "Hey Neyla." The tigress turned to look at her and noticed that the wolf had not moved, but was looking at her over her shoulder. "Try and keep this under wraps and let my dad know that I'm okay?"

"He'll be the first to know and I can promise you that this won't be leaked to anyone…you have my word."

"Thanks."

"No problem." With that the feline was gone and Jenna stood in front of the Nightclub's door and sighed, looking at the key in her hand. Reaching up to her ear she pressed it and cleared her throat.

"I'm assuming you all heard that."

"_**Yeah, we did**_." Bentley stated through the ear piece. "_**Good job getting that key…come back to the safe house and we'll figure out what to do from here.**_"

"Okay." It didn't take long for the slim wolf to make her way back to the safe house and she tossed the key on the desk that the reptile was sitting at before making her way into the kitchen and grabbing herself a water bottle. After taking a sip she turned to the gathered members of the Cooper gang and sighed softly. "Look, I know I shouldn't have snuck out," She began, narrowing her eyes on the turtle specifically, "But if you treat me like a little kid, I'm going to act like it. Keeping me confined didn't work for my parents and it won't work for you either."

"Yes, as I've noticed." Bentley stated, knowing she had won her argument. Seeing that he was extremely suspicious of her did nothing but irritate her. She knew that trust wasn't built up over night, but it would be nice to be treated like an actual human being and not as if she was below him. "You've managed to help us on two very important missions thanks to your disobedience." Jenna's ears flattened to her skull. "While you were dancing, Sly was able to pick pocket all of the guards for their keys to take out the spotlights in the area and getting access to Dimitri's Nightclub was something we were trying to figure out how to accomplish…so thanks."

With her ears still flattened to her skull she eyed him. "Yeah…you're welcome."

"Anyway, you guys wait here while I go…take…out the sign."

They watched as Bentley left and the wolf frowned, nursing her water bottle. The safe house was silent after the turtle left and Jenna looked at her watch to see that it was now two in the morning and she leaned her head back into the love seat and sighed. She didn't understand the turtle's intense dislike of her. She understood being careful, suspicious and to an extreme, paranoid, but this was getting ridiculous. She vaguely heard Sly at the monitors and giving the turtle advice and instructions on where to go, but her mind was elsewhere. After ten minutes she felt a huge shockwave and she bolted upright to see Sly had nearly fallen out of his chair – given his normally good balance this immediately set the wolf into defensive as she moved to the monitors.

"Wow Bentley! We felt that all the way back here at the Safe house! And you were right; the peacock sign had half of its bolts pop off on impact!" Jenna looked out the safe house window and noticed Sly's observation to be true.

"_**Would you mind setting up the projector. As soon as I get back I'll go over the heist.**_"

"Okay Bentley, just be careful getting back okay?"

"_**I'll try**_."

Sly disconnected the signal and began setting up the projector as Murray dragged over a seat for himself. Jenna took a seat next to him at the table, leaning forward as she sat on the chair backwards and resting her chin on the back of the seat. Sly smirked as he sat next to her, quirking a brow at her in amusement. "You okay there Jenny?"

"Don't call me that." The wolf grumbled, eyeing him out of her peripheral vision. "It's Jenna."

"Ah c'mon!" Sly grinned. "Loosen up, this is the fun part."

"Oh _yippee_."

Bentley came into the safe house and quickly moved for the projector before clearing his throat. "Okay fellas…and lady, the dominos are all in place – time to pull of the big heist. First, Murray will help me break into the old water tower. From there I should be able to shut down the plaza fountain. Dimitri's sure to send someone out to get the repair truck. Sly, you'll pickpocket the truck keys off of this guy once he shows up and then hand them off to me and Murray in the plaza; we'll go steal the truck while you climb to the top of the Nightclub's peacock sign. When you're in position, Murray will fire the trucks winch-line up to you and we'll use it to pull down the sign. If my calculations are correct, the impact should create an entrance to the printing press room. Then, Sly, you jump in, grab the Clockwerk Tail Feathers and we all get the heck out of here!"

Jenna stared at the projector for a long while before shaking her head. She quickly was ushered by Sly to help box equipment that they'd need since they were to be leaving the country as soon as the heist was complete. Jenna grumbled as she helped load the van. She had no real role in this heist other than to guard the van. Stupid Bentley, she'd get him back at some point or another, but now was not the time. They had all agreed that they would be completing the heist the next night and the wolf sighed as she loaded the last box and made her way back into the safe house.

"Jen."

The wolf turned, holding the frame to her door to see Sly standing just a few steps behind her. The tone of his voice had been what had stopped her – even though he had shortened her name once more – a small pet peeve of hers. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you rat us out to Neyla?"

She sighed softly through her nose. "To be honest, I thought about it for a second, but..." She answered slowly, "After learning what you're exactly doing you're not the bad guys." She noticed the seriousness in Sly's face soften slightly and she raised her hand to stop him as he opened his mouth to speak. "Don't get me wrong – I'm still angry at you for technically kidnapping me, but…without you, I dunno."

"You don't know what?"

Jenna quirked a brow at him, quickly becoming flustered as the raccoon was much closer than he had been before, his tawny eyes now boring into her hazel ones. "I…don't know how to describe it."

"Yes you do."

Her brow furrowed and she began to shrink slightly, using the doorframe as something to help keep her standing straight. The raccoon was studying her body language. He knew he was making her uncomfortable, but his approach to getting answers was much different than Bentley's or even Murray's for that matter. Murray had immediately been on her side when they had been discussing her earlier saying that she was nice to him and that she would be useful to the team – Bentley, however, had been on the extreme opposite side of Murray's opinion. He had made it quite clear that she was definitely handy and had talents that could help the operation, but he didn't trust her – especially after her smooth encounter with Neyla. Sly was between the two. Though he defended her with Bentley he was equally suspicious. He liked her, sure, but that didn't mean anything to him if she was tempted to rat him out to the cops in a high pressured situation.

"Sly…"

"I need an answer Jenna."

The wolf searched his eyes before frowning, taking a step back and away from him in order to clear her thoughts. Normally the wolf was able to control herself, but his cologne was starting to become invigoratingly intoxicating and smothering at the same time. "I don't know what to tell you Sly." She answered finally. "I can't say that I've discovered myself because I won't know until tomorrow exactly who I really am. All I can really say is that I have _never _felt more complete in my life."

The raccoon searched her eyes looking for any indication that she was lying to him. Seeing none he almost wanted to smirk at her, but he kept his face neutral. "What're you going to do when you find out?"

"I…really don't know."

Sly nodded before offering her a slight smile. "Go get some sleep…you're gonna need it for tomorrow."

"Yeah to guard the van," Jenna rolled her eyes with a smirk and prompting one from Sly as well. "Goodnight."

"Night."

He watched as she closed her door and he stared at it for a few moments before walking down the hall and to his own room. He still wasn't exactly sure how to read her, but he was certain it wouldn't take much longer.

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Jenna looked around the crowded plaza and sighed. Since no one knew who she was exactly it made it easier for her to go out during the day and get things done that she needed to. She was supposed to meet Neyla at the coffee house that morning, the wolf having woken up long before the rest of the gang since Sly was naturally nocturnal and Bentley and Murray did heists with him so they normally slept through the day. There were times that she felt stifled by them and recently it had been getting worse. The one thing she hated was the feeling of being controlled and that was exactly what they were trying to do to her.

"Jenna."

The wolf was brought from her musings to see the tigress she had been waiting for. Unlike the night before she was now without the scarf around her head, opting instead to wear it around her neck, her raven black hair left to tumble around her shoulders casually. Jenna herself was dressed casually in a simple graphic tee and jeans. The constable nodded to the waiter, muttering her order before smiling at the wolf.

"I have the results." She said simply, handing Jenna three files total. "Your DNA matched Vincent Auteri, the husband of Claudia Genovese…both were members of the Italian Mob."

"How is that even possible?"

"It's quite possible that you were taken from their family after they were murdered."

"They were murdered?"

"The case ran cold, we had a few suspects, but none of them ever added up."

Jenna was silent for a few moments, taking in the information that Neyla had just supplied her with. Mulling over her words she sighed, "Are there any other members of the family that I could try and get in contact with?"

"Sadly they were all wiped out." Neyla frowned, noticing the hope that Jenna had a few moments before die away as her ears flattened to her skull. "I'm sorry Jenna."

The wolf swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before looking up at the tigress. "Did they know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did…Detective Samuel Sheppard and Captain Lawrence Sheppard know?" Jenna frowned deeply as Neyla's brows pinched in her confusion, "About my connections to the mob?"

"I can't be sure…I never really see either one of them."

"Neyla, I'd appreciate you not hiding information from me." She frowned deeply. "Did my dad and brother know about this?"

The tigress sighed deeply, running a hand through her dark hair and frowning softly. "I assume that they did, but like I said – I can't be sure." The tigress noticed a broken and betrayed look begin to form and she sighed once more. The tigress actually felt bad for the wolf, that was obvious, but she hadn't expected her to take the news this badly. "Look, I brought you your parent's files…just look at them and learn some more about yourself okay?" Jenna nodded slowly before throwing some coins down on the small table. "Jenna?"

"Thanks for your help Neyla," The wolf offered the feline a weak smile. "Breakfast's on me."

"Any time…we'll be in touch okay?" Jenna didn't supply a verbal answer, but her nod was enough for the officer as she watched the wolf walk away. Jenna didn't immediately go back to the safe house, instead she found herself wandering the streets of Paris and finding a park she quickly decided that maybe it would get her mind off of what she had just learned.

As she walked, the messenger bag she had brought with her smacked against her leg. The MP3 player she had found in the safe house wasn't hard to program to her specific tastes, given that they had literally left her with nothing else to do and was blaring Katy Perry's _Part of Me_. Back in high school she had done a dance to this particular song as to prove a point to her father and now it meant something more. The news of her parents had completely thrown her for a loop and it had literally crushed her. She was now left not knowing how to feel as her whole identity had just literally been stripped from her being. The feeling of her heart being ripped from her chest was a severe understatement and only felt worse as she came passed a family of lions enjoying the sunny day.

Jenna felt her face fall as she watched the father play with his two kids, wrestling them and laughing loudly, his wife smiling at the scene. Shaking her head she sniffled, wiping her eyes of the mist she hadn't realized had started to build and she crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously as she continued to walk along the path, her tail curled between her legs and her ears flat against her head. She soon came upon a bridge and sighed, leaning against the rail and looking down into the clear water below. She hadn't realized how much time had passed until she noticed another reflection in the water, leaning on the rail next to her. Knowing it to be Sly she said nothing, her thoughts lost like the water racing underneath the bridge.

"We were wondering where you ran off to."

"I'm sure you were." Jenna replied softly, not trusting herself to look at the raccoon without crying. "So they sent you to come find me huh?"

The raccoon shrugged lightly, adjusting the beanie on his head and his fake lenses to hide his eyes from the citizens that could potentially recognize him. "Only because I had nothing to do," He watched as Jenna sighed deeply, her brows furrowed tightly over her eyes and her bangs creating a slight shadow to her normally bright hazel eyes. "Are you okay?"

Coughing she nodded, clearing her throat in the process and arching her back to loosen it from where she had been leaning over the railing. Her expression remained the same and she still refused to look at him, "Just fine."

"Jenny…"

"It's Jenna."

"Well you haven't lost your sense of humor." Sly remarked with a smirk. "You're a terrible liar by the way."

"I don't think you know me well enough to be the judge of that."

"From the sound of it neither do you." He realized immediately he had struck a nerve as she turned her head to him sharply, her brows pinched tightly and her eyes narrowed, but his attention was more drawn to the fact that besides anger there were tears in her eyes.

"At least you have an identity." She snapped, turning her head away from him and pushing off of the railing of the bridge and beginning to walk away. Sly frowned deeply, a look that was misplaced on his face before quickly following after her and grabbing her elbow gently. Jenna growled at him in warning, but this obviously didn't bother the raccoon as he pulled her to a stop and stood in front of her, his tawny eyes narrowed behind the glasses he wore. "Sly…let me go."

"Jenna, what happened?" He questioned quietly, his tone concerned.

"I'm sure you heard it through my earpiece considering you all refuse to let me go anywhere without it." She snapped, her brows furrowing deeper with her scowl. "Why don't you ask Bentley if you're so curious?"

"Jenna don't be like that." Sly frowned slightly, his concern deepening. "I'm not heartless and while you're usually sarcastic and cynical it's not normally this bad."

"Let me put it in a way you would understand." The wolf snarled quietly and causing the raccoon's ears to flatten tightly to his head at the implied insult. "Everything that I thought I knew was a lie…Everything that I thought I had never existed…Everything that I am…_everything is a lie_." She emphasized as she pulled her arm from his grasp. Sly sighed, ignoring the insult as her just lashing out while being upset. "Now please, just leave me alone."

The raccoon was silent for a few moments before stopping her as she went to walk away again. "Jenna…listen, I know how you feel."

"How!" Jenna snapped as she turned to him with a deep glare set on her features. "At least you knew you came from the family you came from." She frowned, making sure to keep her words filtered knowing they were out in public. "At least you're aware of who you are! I have nothing anymore, how could you possibly understand that – hey let go!"

The raccoon had become annoyed and had grabbed her arm as he led her away from the public eye as people were beginning to watch. Ignoring her protests he led her back to the safe house where they could argue to their heart's content. Jenna finally managed to remove herself from the raccoon's hold and she glared at him. "Before you start yelling at me listen." Her brow immediately furrowed at the seriousness of his tone. "There are many times when all three of us have learned something about ourselves that have left us wondering why. You're no different." The raccoon stated. "Now that you know you can start to live."

Jenna closed her mouth and frowned before walking away from him. The last thing the three members of the Cooper gang heard from the wolf was the slamming of her door. The wolf sighed wiping her eyes viciously before regaining control of herself and sighing. She eyed the bag that held her parent's files as well as the file that held her DNA test and shook her head slowly. Instead of reading over them she pulled her chair over to the window sill and staring outside at the milling people.

Sly ran a hand through his hair, pulling the beanie off of his head in the process and sighing deeply casting his eyes to his teammates and frowning. They both looked troubled, but the look on Bentley's face told him all he needed to know. The turtle was more suspicious of her and looked at the other two members of the group before sighing deeply and raising his hands.

"Well you didn't get through to her…let me see what I can do." Sly's brows rose incredulously as the turtle made his way up the stairs leading to the rooms.

Bentley tentatively knocked on the door a few times, hearing a small granting of entry he pushed open the door to see the wolf with her feet propped up on her desk, hugging her knees loosely and staring out of the window in front of her. He looked to the side and noticed the files that Neyla had given her untouched on her bed. "Do you mind?" Jenna turned from looking out of the window and sighed deeply upon seeing him before waving her hand. She knew he would be in at some point either to rub it into her face that she was the daughter of mob affiliates or ask for the files. She noticed the turtle open the files and sigh. "Jenna, come here for a minute." The wolf swung her legs off of her desk and approached the turtle before recoiling slightly at the photos that were inside the folders. Bentley watched her reaction carefully and sighed. _Maybe I'm being too insensitive, _he thought to himself. "I know it's a lot to see, but maybe we can learn something from it."

"Do you always talk to people like they're less intelligent than you?"

Bentley immediately turned to her to see that her face was completely devoid of any expression, completely stoic and this did nothing but worry the reptile. Clearing his throat he returned his eyes to the pictures, flipping through each photo. "Jenna have you looked at any of these before now?"

"No." She admitted slowly before frowning as she took the photos from the turtle. "Bentley…are you talking about this figure in the back?"

"What figure?"

"Obviously not," Jenna sighed slowly before placing the pictures on her bed and pointing out the dark figure in the corner of each picture. The turtle cupped his chin as he held the picture up to his eyes, examining it before looking up at her.

"Could you do me a favor and go into the left hand drawer of the cabinet near my computers and grab the book in there titled the _Thievius Raccoonus_? It's an old, leather bound book." The wolf nodded slowly, lacking the energy to argue with him as she exited her room. She noticed that Sly sat up from the couch at the sound of her footsteps, shooting her a questioning look as she reached into the cabinet that Bentley had asked her to go to and pulling out the book. She examined it slowly, not noticing the raccoon stand and make his way towards her.

"What're you doing with my book?"

He almost chuckled as the wolf jumped in surprise, turning to him sharply and glaring at him before smacking him with the book. Sly rubbed his chest where she had made contact and quirked a brow at her. "Bentley asked me to grab it for him."

"_Why_?"

She offered him a shrug as she turned and made her way back up into her room. With his curiosity now peeked, the raccoon followed after her to see both Bentley and Jenna leaning over the open files on her bed and the images from his family's book. "The images are the same." The wolf muttered with a furrowed brow, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. It was then and only then that the raccoon noticed that there was a large piece of her ear missing, he pushed the small detail aside and watched as the reptile frowned.

"This isn't good."

"Wait a second," Jenna frowned suddenly, her bang falling back into place in front of her face. "The figure…that's Clockwerk isn't it?"

"Your observation is correct." Bentley frowned. "Jenna do you know what this means?"

"It explains why the case went cold. He must have…covered it up somehow!"

"Let's not jump to conclusions." The turtle sighed. "But the basic deduction is accurate. Clockwerk was undoubtedly behind this somehow."

"But why?" Jenna frowned before looking at Sly, her ears flat to her head. "I don't mean to cross any boundaries with this question Sly, but what was the motive to Clockwerk –?"

"Hate and Jealousy." He could see the apology on her face, but waved it off. He wasn't exactly over it since the issue had resurfaced, but he was comfortable enough speaking about it.

"That doesn't make sense," Her scowl deepened into one of contemplation as she cupped her chin. "If those were his initial motives…what would he be jealous of with my family?"

"Well I'm certain we'll come across it at some point." Bentley frowned deeply. This situation had done nothing but solidify his suspicion of her. Not only was she a loose cannon, but she had the instincts of a killer running through her veins. How could he trust her around any of them! "But for now we have a heist to complete." The wolf and raccoon nodded, looking at each other before Jenna threw her clothes into her duffle bag and sighed, brushing her bangs away from her face once more. She took one last look around her room before following the rest of the Cooper gang out of their safe house. She sat in the back on the floor behind Sly, Bentley sitting near her and at his computers. How he was able to type on a master computer in a moving van was beyond her.

She scowled deeply as Murray pulled the van out of their garage before offering her a wide smile. "Don't worry Jenna, we'll be back before you know it!" The wolf sighed, nodding her head and offering the hippo a weaker grin before watching as the three members looked at one another.

"Alright Sly, you're going to be positioned in the plaza, Murray and I will head out towards the water tower." Bentley began to say before turning to the wolf. "Jenna, you stay here with the van."

"Yeah…" She sighed as she leaned back against the interior of the van. After a few moments the three of them were gone and Jenna was left to her own devices and she decided to look into her family. Something Neyla had said had bothered her about her parents and that being that she didn't match the DNA to Claudia Genovese. The thought of her birth father having an affair crossed her mind, but at the same time it seemed to be too easy an answer. Getting into Bentley's computer was no issue and she would have laughed if she were not preoccupied with finding out more about herself.

Data crunching wasn't her specialty by any means, but she was decent with a computer finding her objective quickly as she could she frowned. She looked up her father's name, finding that she was related to him and not to her mother as she had originally thought. Looking at the pictures of her mother and father she noticed one thing that seemed wrong.

Both of them were wolves, yes, but her supposed mother had off white fur and apparent her father had brown fur. How then did she have grey fur? The off-white mask and underbelly she understood, but she couldn't place the grey.

A frown came to her features as she cupped her chin, quickly typing in her father's last name instead of his full name. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she came across. News paper articles and wanted posters met her eyes, however, it wasn't the images that struck her.

"Assassin?" The wolf frowned softly, "Does this mean that the only reason he was connected with the mob was because of his wife?" Shaking her head she sighed. "That doesn't tell me anything…" Groaning she shook her head. "This doesn't make sense!"

She noticed a printer sitting next to the computer and she decided then that the best way to let the turtle know that she hadn't looked into his computer was to print out the material and erase the history. She printed out multiple articles before erasing all of the history that pertained to her search as well as the history in the printer before closing out of the computer and taking the papers from the computer and tossing it into her DNA file.

A few moments later she heard sirens beginning to close in and she opened the back door of the van only to yelp as a shock blast landed into the door just inches from her face. Looking up she noticed the three members of the Cooper gang racing towards the van and she quickly jumped over the front seat and turned the key in the ignition to start the car. Moments later Murray had thrown open the front door and had jumped in. Jenna looked back out the door to see Bentley and Sly falling slightly behind and she noticed a stray baseball bat and grabbed it, opening the doors enough for the two to get in before throwing the baseball bat with all of her might and grinning as she hit an officer out of the way.

"Floor it Murray!"

The hippo hadn't needed to be told twice as he pressed all of his weight on the gas pedal and throwing the van forward from zero to eighty and the wolf cried out as she hit the back doors of the van, her eyes widening as she grabbed the side to prevent herself from falling out as the door swung wide open. The raccoon, quick on his feet, leaned toward her with a frown.

"Murray make a right now!"

"You got it partner!"

Jenna's eyes widened as she was swung further away from the interior of the van before swinging back to the van with more speed than anticipated. Sly grabbed a hold of her and pulled her back into the van. Jenna gasped as the wind was knocked from her lungs and she groaned as her head began to throb. Opening her eyes she found herself sprawled out on top of Sly who was holding his head from where her brow had obviously met his.

"Geez Jen, your head is really hard."

"Gee thanks." The canine rolled her eyes, not bothering to correct the raccoon as she rolled off of him and to the side. The hippo looked back at them from the rearview mirror and grinned.

"That was wicked guys!"

"The heist," Sly began slowly with a small chuckle, "Or the daring escape from Inspector Fox and Constable Neyla?"

"Neither!" Murray grinned. "The car chase, obviously!"

It took a few minutes before the raccoon realized what his older friend was referencing before the hippo's mirth was shared as he began to laugh. "I do have to admit, that was pretty daring." He agreed. "Then again," his eyes turned towards the still panting wolf, his brow quirking.

"That's more fun than I ever want to have again."

It was silent in the van for a few moments before all members began to laugh, the wolf staring at them before a smile began to twitch at her lips.

"The best part is that you aided the escape of us _dangerous criminals_."

"Shut up Sly, they intentionally shot at my face."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night beautiful."

The wolf was silent for a few minutes before smacking the raccoon in the arm and prompting a loud laugh from him as he blocked her strikes, knowing that this wasn't serious. He had to admit that she did have a sense of humor, you just had to get her comfortable before she decided to let it show.

"But no seriously, that's the last time I'm hanging out of a moving van."

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Yay! First Heist completed :D We're now seeing the plot thicken...whooooooooooo...lol. Sorry, I'm really excited that my writer's block has lifted and am seriously hyper...P.S. Coke is the nector of the Gods - just thought I'd share that with you all haha :D

Anyway, feel free to drop me a review! Remember, reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update :)

Until next time!  
timexgone23 xoxo


	6. Heart to Hearts in Monaco

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note: **Back already and with another update – who-da-thunk-it! Haha, anyway as most of you know the Cooper Gang head out to Monaco right after their heist in Paris and this chapter is mostly centered around that…I'll say this is the _longest chapter I have __**ever**__ written in my life_. Yes, this is not a joke friends, the previous ground breaking chapter that I have ever written had been at 18 pages. This chapter broke that record by four pages: 22…I'm just as flabbergasted as you are I guarantee you, but I'm excited as well as this is the longest filler I have ever written…yay me! Ahem, anyway I'll let you get to reading as I have nothing really interesting happening in my life…Oh! For those who read my _Pirates of the Caribbean_ story, I'm sad to announce that it is almost complete and while I'm excited, I'm seriously disheartened by it…I don't know, there's a lot of mixed emotions lol – any who, the sequel to that will be out sometime at the end of this month and into the beginning of July as I have not yet finished outlining the story or even writing the first chapter :P Anyways keep your eyes out for the sequel!

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far (and only in 2 chapters) and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 4**: _BananaB0mb, Deags, boona, Why Fireflies Flash_ and _Carmen Veiga:_

_BananaB0mb: _I was interested to see if anyone was going to pick up on the subtle cues I had been dropping, yes, Jenna's family was mob affiliates…I'll leave it at that haha. And thank you! Having her integrated into some of the missions was important not only for her within the plot line, but as an addition to the Cooper Gang, as our loveable raccoon pointed out a few chapters back, it's not fair to just have her cook and clean ;) And haha, if you'd like to PM me I'm always up for a chat! And you're welcome :D! I always shout out a story when it's good, it takes a lot for me to do so as I'm a critic in my own mind haha jk, there's just a lot of things I look for in a story and if I feel it deserves a shout out I'll do that. Thanks again for your reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Deags: _Thanks! It's good to know that the first heist is completed especially as the story is now making way into the second arc which out of the nine (I think there are in the entire plot), the second is one of my favorites! Haha! Yes, Jenna is 5'2" and is particularly small for her breed, but she is built for running. I haven't decided yet, but there may be a flashback sequence in order to point this out (I wanted to see if anyone would catch that and seeing as you have makes me excited!). But, regardless, that will be addressed further into the story :) And I seriously just laughed out loud and got a weird look from my mother, not going to lie. I totally accept the challenge of updating soon and I believe it fitting to post this chapter now that you and other fellow readers have demanded more ;) But on a more serious note, thank you. I love knowing that that you enjoy the interactions as well as the descriptions I put into the story, though my writing has never been called poetic :D You, sir, have made my day. Thank you so much for your review (as always) and I hope that this chapter is to your liking as well :)

_boona: _I'm not going to lie to you, your review not only made my day a bit, but made me laugh and there's nothing I like more than laughing! :) I always enjoy hearing feedback from my readers especially if they love the story – it lets me know that I'm doing something right ;) haha, just kidding. Anyway with all sincerity I really do thank you for your reviews and I'm really glad I kinda caught you off guard…it only makes it interesting if I keep my readers on their toes ;D As per request here is another update and I hope you enjoy this chapter like you have the others!

_Why Fireflies Flash: _*grins fiendishly* YES! I had been thinking about it for a long while and decided that I wanted to throw a wrench in there no one would really expect :D Ah, I absolutely love when I know I've left someone pondering, but to assure you, you'll be finding out slowly as the story goes on. As you'll notice when I write I have a tendency to drag something through the entire plot (cough-_Pirates of the Caribbean_-cough) haha. But no, you will eventually know what happened and what her connection between her family and Clockwerk is as the story progresses – let's just say it's not always as it seems ;) And ah, Bentley and Jenna…don't worry, Bentley and her are going to be the emotional rollercoaster of this entire story as the turtle is very tentative in general and though it's not made pronounced in the second one, he's just as suspicious of Carmelita – he makes a stronger reference in the third game while he and Sly are in Venice :) But don't worry – they'll be bonding sooner than you think ;) Honestly I don't see the point in testing – it doesn't tell you how good or bad you are at something (well it certainly tells you how bad you are, but that's besides the point). I'm a terrible test taker…I can know material backwards and forwards and still fail a test…kinda makes sense now when my dad told me that I'm like him – we're both "doers" where my mom and sister are the academics (I'm so jealous of this, but I digress lol). Anyway, I still wish you luck with whatever testing you have left! I'm rooting for you! Thanks again for your lovely reviews on both of my stories haha, I enjoy reading them, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Carmen Veiga: _Haha, I'm just going to bunch all of your reviews into one reply if that's okay :) Firstly, welcome! I'm so happy to have gained another reviewer for this story :D But down to the brass tacks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far – I'm a fan of the Sly/Carmelita pairing as well and she does have a tendency to appear bitchy, but I think it has to do with a back story that Sucker Punch™ never really touched upon (her black and white perspective I mean). And thank you so much, I'm glad to know that you love Jenna haha, I love her too :D Thanks again for all of your reviews and I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
06_

"So tell me again why we're here?"

Sly looked back at the canine and smirked. "Is the idea of traveling not enticing enough for you, princess?"

"Ha, ha, ha." She rolled her eyes as she imputed a few coins into the vending machine. The gang had pulled off at a small truck stop to refuel and to grab a few snacks for the road as they decided it wasn't necessary to stop at a motel. She ignored the smug raccoon leaning against the machine with a demure smile twitching at his lips. "For the record I'm no royalty. And I love to travel, however, when it was said that we were getting out of the country I didn't expect you to pick Monaco." She paused eyeing him with a deadpanned expression, "FYI Monaco is _still in France_…"

"Well," The raccoon began as if it was obvious, "Bentley wanted to try out his card counting formula at the casino and who am I to deny him the right?"

"I dunno," Jenna smirked as she placed her finger on her chin and mocking thought. "The ringleader of this circus you call a gang?"

"Aw c'mon Jen, don't tell me that you don't want to check out the famous casinos in Monaco?"

"Not really, no." She smirked as she reached into the machine and pulled out her small bag of pretzels, the water bottle she had bought tucked underneath her arm. Jenna was buying snacks for everyone under the supervision of Sly while Bentley and Murray guarded the van and stretched their legs. "What fun is gambling anyway?"

"Well the way I see it," The raccoon smirked. "Nothing lost, nothing gained right?"

"Except your coins."

"Now Jen, who am I?" He chuckled, tipping the baseball cap on his head and smirking at her. The wolf stared at him for a few moments before smirking.

"A cocky rat."

His smirk fell off of his face, not missing the mirthful glimmer within her hazel eyes. "Now that's not very nice."

"No one ever said I was nice."

"That's not true." The raccoon chuckled, "My initial thought was that you were _so_ nice you just _oozed_ hearts and flowers."

"_Au contraire_," she chuckled, not missing the sarcasm. "If I remember correctly I turned you down."

"I never asked you out…"

"**Yet**."

They both looked at one another before laughing. Jenna had seriously relaxed around the Cooper gang, realizing that she didn't necessarily have anywhere else to go now that her family wasn't exactly her family anymore. The thought still depressed her, but she knew she would live.

Out of the three members of the esteemed Cooper gang, Murray had become her friend the quickest – especially after she beat him in _Street Fighter_ almost a week before the initial heist in Paris for the Clockwerk tail feathers. Sly had warmed up to her slowly after him, finding that her raunchy humor was refreshing or so he had said. Bentley and her were cordial to one another, the reptile still rather tentative towards her, but there were things the two agreed on when it came to each other and the other members of the gang themselves.

Sly glanced at the wolf out of the corner of his eye and smirked. At first his interest had been completely on her appearance for she wasn't unattractive by any means – not Carmelita, but it was what made her attractive – then it had turned more towards her personality. She was modest, never looking at anything remotely provocative as she would prefer wearing t-shirts and a pair of sweats any day. As he spent more time with her, he began to see that she was extremely steadfast, loyal and _especially_ stubborn. When it came to her opinions she was very solid with her view, accepting the views of others and not pushing hers, but she didn't easily change her mind on a whim. The one thing that had interested him the most was her compassionate nature. It was unusual to see a wolf that was trusting or caring of anyone but themselves or their own and so when she had offered to take care of a burn he had received from Dimitri's shock pistol he hadn't known exactly what to do.

Jenna, overall, had an amazing personality, however, Bentley's words still haunted the back of his mind. He knew that she was the daughter of two dangerous people, but she had shown no signs of such hostility…her anger was something else, but she was never intentionally hurtful.

Besides, she was just _so charming_ it drove him crazy.

"And what, may I ask, do you find so funny?"

The raccoon turned to the canine with a quirked brow before realizing he had laughed at his own thoughts. He instead smirked at her and chuckled. "So interested in me all of a sudden Auteri?"

"Don't count on it Cooper." She smirked. Jenna had long since gotten over her hidden secret, though it still bothered her from time to time, she had come to terms with it. "You're not my type."

Now _that_ had caught his interest. "Oh _really_?" He smirked. "And what is your type exactly?" The wolf only smirked, her playful nature not going unnoticed to the raccoon as she walked away. Sly stopped suddenly, his ears turning backwards as his tail twitched. "No really, what's your type!"

"What's Sly yelling about?" Murray asked the wolf as she handed him the bag of cheese doodles he had requested and his soda. Jenna turned to where the raccoon was glaring at her from across the parking lot.

"Oh he's just not getting what he wants is all." She smirked, elbowing the hippo playfully. "Girls and all I mean."

"Jenna!" She smirked as the hippo began to laugh, opening his snack and popping a doodle into his mouth, "Sly's a very sensitive soul."

The wolf quirked a brow at the larger male as she turned her eyes to the raccoon to see him grinning _charmingly_ at a few passing felines who giggled at him as they walked passed him.

"_Sensitive_?" She inquired mirthfully, "Maybe in his past life."

Murray laughed. He liked the she-wolf, finding that she fit in perfectly with their group. Any girl who could play video games, work on and love cars and color with him was well into his good graces after all.

Jenna smirked, happy she had made her friend laugh before sighing. "So how far are we from Monaco?"

"About another few hours out," Murray answered with a smile. "We'll be there by dinner time actually."

"Awesome." She smiled, taking a sip of her water. She had never really been a fan of soda – finding that the carbonation bothered her stomach. "So let's get to it."

"You got it partner!"

Jenna laughed openly as she made her way to the back doors of the van, noticing Sly to already be leaning against them, his ever present smirk twitching upon his lips. "Your chariot awaits princess."

"Shut up Sly." The raccoon laughed as he opened the door, the wolf smiling as she climbed into the back, Sly following soon after and closing the door. Moments later the two front doors closed and they were back on the road. Jenna spent most of her time just listening to the conversations passing between the three friends. They were incredibly funny – making fun of each other and talking about old times. "So how exactly did you steal the cookies?" She asked munching on a pretzel and quirking her brow.

Sly smirked, looking at his partners with mirth filling his eyes. "Well, that day we were called into the Mrs. Puffin's office because we were just _angels_."

"Bentley and Murray sure, _you_ I don't believe for a second."

"We didn't either." Bentley added from the front with a smile. "We were never in trouble before Sly came to the orphanage."

"I believe it." Jenna laughed earning a playful glare from the raccoon in question. "Sorry, please, do continue."

"So _anyway_," He expressed loudly earning snickers from his audience. "Every time we were in that office we noticed a cookie jar on the top of the book case that no one ever got to eat from –"

"You did if you were good." Bentley smirked from the front earning a pout from the raccoon and a laugh from Jenna.

"Point is, we never got to get a cookie. As a matter of fact," Sly narrated as he cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "I remember thinking that the old bird was hording all of those delicious cookies for herself."

"I remember that!" Murray laughed, Bentley soon joining in. "It was the craziest thing _ever_!"

"So after we snuck out of detention, the three of us got to planning our first heist." Sly continued. "Bentley drew up the best plan I think any eleven year old could ever come up with and we were soon in action." He grinned. "Murray and Bentley were waiting outside the window with our esteemed getaway vehicle –"

"It was a tricycle with a wagon attached Sly."

Jenna's brow arched higher at the blush that appeared on the raccoon's cheeks and she smirked. "Anyway," Sly coughed as he continued his story, "The plan was easy: hide out in the trashcan until Mrs. Puffin leaves, get the cookies and get out right?"

"Wrong." Bentley laughed. "He nearly gave me a heart attack when he said he heard someone coming into the office, ya see, as a group we have to work on a specific time table in order to get certain jobs done." The turtle explained, "Sly had obviously run over his time since the Janitor was coming in to clean Mrs. Puffin's office."

"The best part was Murray though!" The hippo blushed, rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment and chuckling. "The big guy thought I was going to get caught and the only means of communication that we had was two cans on a string. So next thing I know I'm being pulled out of the window by the can!"

"It was radical!" Murray laughed loudly and urging a smile from the she-wolf. Bentley laughed and nodded his head.

"It really was. We had initially thought we had failed the heist –"

"When I revealed the fruits of our labors!" Sly grinned, "I managed to grab a cap fill of cookies before Murray had pulled me out of the window."

"Best failed heist _ever_!"

Jenna stared at the three of them before laughing. "The sad thing is…it's so innocent!"

"I told you we weren't that bad." Sly chuckled, poking her in her side and earning a shriek from the wolf. With an eyebrow raised he leaned forward with his finger extended and forcing the wolf to move to the other side of the van before even making contact. "Jen…are you ticklish?"

"No!"

"Based off of that reaction –"

"Shut up Bentley!" Jenna yelped as the raccoon pounced on her, running his fingers up and down her sides and causing the wolf to not only flail as if she was a fish out of water, but laugh…and shoot curses in between her cries for help.

"Now Jen, this is too easy!"

While he had paused she poked him in the side and watched as he flinched, a smirk twitching at her lips suddenly as she flipped him over and began tickling him instead. She soon found out that he wasn't as ticklish as she was and this soon ended with her using one of the sleeping bags they had packed as a shield to fend off the ever persistent thief.

Just as the raccoon was about to pounce again, Murray had announced their arrival to the casino and the hotel that connected to it. Jenna grinned, throwing the sleeping bag at Sly's face and sliding from the back doors that the hippo had been kind enough to open. Sly removed the bag from his face and watched as Jenna flashed him a grin before mouthing "I win" as she grabbed her duffle bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder. He watched her walk away with Murray with a growing smirk.

She hadn't realized that Sly wasn't the type to get mad, he _always_ got even.

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"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Jenna sighed in exasperation, running a hand through her hair. Sly had been standing in her doorway the last twenty minutes asking her if she was sure she didn't want to join them down in the casino.

"Sly, for the last time, I'm positive." She sighed. "Besides, I have nothing remotely nice to wear because, if you haven't noticed, this place is the pinnacle of ritzy and for absolutely no reason." She stated loudly with her brow furrowed. "I would've been okay with a cheap motel, not a five star hotel with a casino attached!"

"Well we're in France…everything is ritzy," He chuckled. Jenna only shot him a dirty look in reply and sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Still doesn't change the fact that I have nothing nice to wear."

"Oh really?" The thief smirked widely, tossing her a bag. He had been dressed in a black button down top with the first few buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up, tucked into a pair of beige khakis and matching shoes. She eyed him carefully as she looked in the bag and frowned.

"If this is what I think it is, you're going to be missing more than your cane."

Sly only smirked wider at her empty threat before waving at her as he made his way to his adjoining room that he was sharing with Bentley and Murray. Jenna glared at his back before pulling out the outfit from the bag and sighing heavily. She laid the deep red dress out on the bed and pinched her brow.

She stripped of her jeans and t-shirt and pulled on the dress, frowning deeply as the skirt fell just above her knee, the dress itself fitting to her form and leaving her wondering if the raccoon had done this on purpose. She adjusted the lace sleeves before looking at herself in the mirror.

"Oh what has happened to you ol' girl?"

She looked at the dress in disdain, before sighing softly in dismay. She wasn't going to lie and say that the dress wasn't pretty and she had to admit that Sly had good tastes, but it made her uncomfortable. The dress itself was a fitted style that hugged what curve she did have and had laced three quarter sleeves, the lace running over the dress itself. Ignoring it for now she set to doing her hair. The curse that came with her breed was that they appeared much younger than they actually were and she was sure it was going to be an issue and so she decided that leaving her hair down was her best option. She pulled the top half of her hair back into a clip before pulling on the stealth boots, finding that they could be formal and informal before smiling to herself. Since she had braided her hair for the day the long tresses fell in large waves and gave her the effect she needed to look her age, if not older.

She sighed, sucking up her pride and knocking on the adjoining door to see Sly had apparently been waiting for her, his smirk widening as he saw her.

"Ready to go princess?"

The wolf only glared at him, taking the arm he had offered to her and sighing deeply in order to calm herself down. "You were going to sucker me into going anyway weren't you?"

"Absolutely," the raccoon grinned. "Why would I do anything less?"

"Because you would be awesome," She rolled her eyes.

"Not charming, handsome or even a little bit chivalrous?" Jenna snorted loudly at his sarcasm.

"No, not at all."

"Did you check what else was in the bag there?" He smirked at her open confusion. "There was also a swim suit in there. I noticed you eyeing the pool as we came in." He hid his smirk from her as she stared at him now in surprise.

"T-thank you."

It was now Sly's turn to look at her in open confusion as she ducked her head away from him. "Huh?"

"I said thank you."

"I heard that," Sly stated with a furrowed brow in confusion, "Why though?"

"It…just means a lot."

"Getting you a swim suit means a lot?"

"No," She sighed shaking her head. "For noticing...that's all."

"You're probably the strangest girl I've ever met."

"Really?" The wolf inquired as Sly led her to the casino, the bouncer not giving them any issue as they appeared to look natural. "After all of the places you've been, _I'm _the strangest girl you've _ever_ met?"

Sly seemed to consider this for a minute before chuckling. "Actually, you're kinda tied."

"With who?"

"Jealous Jen?"

"Not on your life."

Sly chuckled, patting her hand that was wrapped around his arm. He hadn't expected that the she-wolf would be so relaxed or easy going about any of this, however, he was once again surprised. Being around her was beginning to feel more and more natural, especially with their conversations. He had come to realize that once he was able to get passed her hardened exterior, Jenna was a ball of fluff. She wouldn't hurt a fly no matter how many times she threatened to and was feistier than any female he had come across to date. He was sure that she would've been able to give Carmelita a run for her money.

"So how again am I strange?" She inquired as she quirked a brow. He noticed then that she had no make-up on, as wolves normally didn't need it since their eyes were thickly outlined naturally, and he smirked. "I'm afraid that I don't necessarily understand."

"Are you flirting with me Miss Auteri?"

"In your dreams Cooper," She rolled her eyes. Sly only smirked.

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"You can't just say something and not have a reason behind it Sly." She answered with a smirk. "Besides, you're a horrible liar."

"Now _that_ is just a bad lie."

"Not at all," She grinned. "You don't even realize how easy to read you are."

Sly was left at a blank. How in the world did she come to that conclusion! He was a master thief and was in disguise almost ninety percent of the time which required him to lie. Frowning he looked down at himself and patted his pockets. Looking up he noticed Jenna smirking at him over her shoulder, waving the small pouch of coins that he had placed in the _front pocket _of his pants. Sly eyed her with a slacked jaw, "How did…?" Shaking his head, he smirked.

_Well I'll be, it looks like this little creature is a keeper…_The raccoon smirked to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest, soon coming to stand next to Bentley and Murray who were in the middle of a game of Black Jack. He observed each and every player, Jenna making it look like she wasn't associated with Bentley and Murray as she looked at the table carefully. Frowning he made his way over to her, "Why do you look so focused all of a sudden?"

"The table's hot." She answered as she leaned next to his ear to prevent others from hearing her. "If Bentley's formula works you guys could make some serious coin."

"You know how to play?" Sly inquired incredulously, his brow arching as she nodded with a small smirk.

"My dad used to play all the time…every Saturday night he and a bunch of the officers from the department would come over and play…the wage always changed though."

"What would they play for?"

"Normally it was on patrol hours." She smirked. "After payday they bet on coins."

"Was your dad any good?" He watched as her smirk widened into a smile, a twinkle of mischief forming in her eyes and urging his brow to march higher on his forehead.

"He only won because I'd spot him." She smirked. "My uncle taught me how to play when I was little and from then on I became spot."

"So your dad cheated."

"Depending what was at stake he would." Jenna chuckled. "He wasn't exactly a _graceful _loser…or pleasant for that matter." She rolled her eyes, unconsciously rubbing the side of her neck. Sly took note of the movement, but didn't say anything in fear of offending her.

"So how do you play?"

Jenna smiled at him before gesturing to the table. "You're not playing against anyone but the dealer." She answered. "The object for the player is to draw cards totaling closer to 21, without going over, than the dealer's cards. The best total of all is a two-card 21, or a blackjack. Blackjack pays 3-2. However, if the dealer also has a two-card 21, the hand pushes, or ties, and you just get your original bet back. But if the dealer goes on to draw 21 in three or more cards, your blackjack is still a winner with its 3-2 payoff. The way they're playing now is trying to psyche each other into bidding more money until someone stops hitting the dealer for more cards." She explained. "In a game like this, when the cards are shown, the closest to twenty-one and the one that beats the dealer wins and gets all the player's chips…that's how you win."

"Can you put in and pull out at any time during the game?"

"You can, which a lot do after they realize that they've lost." Jenna answered with a smirk. "It's exactly like poker in that you have to convince the other players to place more chips on the table to raise the bid." Sly watched as she scanned each player before leaning into him again. "I just hope Bentley doesn't get caught…" She drawled off as she gestured to the large bouncers around the casino.

"Why?"

"Card counting is against the rules." She answered slowly, "It's considered stealing and not only are you thrown out of the casino, you get the living snot beat out of you as well."

"I thought that was a myth."

"Depends on the casino," Jenna answered quietly. "One this fancy you won't see that…but you _will_ be thrown out."

She and Sly watched as Bentley went to work, placing in his entire accumulated winnings, a smirk twitching at his face. The next few moments were intense as the last hit was made and they had to reveal their cards. Bentley had an exact twenty-one and he smiled before pulling out. Sly nodded to Murray before smiling at the wolf. "Shall we princess?"

"Are you sure you're not the one flirting with me?"

"Since day one," Sly answered with a smirk. "Would you care to join me for dinner?"

"Like I have a choice," she rolled her eyes with a smile. The raccoon only smirked, neither confirming nor denying her statement as he led her away from the casino itself. Instead of going to dinner as they initially planned the two of them decided to walk around the hotel and just talk. As the two of them wandered they soon came across the pool and Jenna quirked a brow. "Sly?"

"Oh come on!"

"I'm not even remotely dressed appropriately to go swimming." She chuckled. "I'd have to go back up to the room."

"Who said _we_ were swimming?"

"Whuh?"

The raccoon only smirked at her in reply before pushing her into the water. He watched, squatted by the edge of the pool as she surfaced, sputtering water as she did before glaring at him. "Sly you _royal pain in my ass_!"

"No need to be so vulgar." The raccoon chuckled, watching her carefully as she swam her way to the shallow end, wiping her hair from her face and smiling as she waded towards him. "Jen?" When she didn't answer he became nervous. "Jenna?"

Without a word she leaned on the pool side next to him with a smirk twitching at her lips as she built the anxiety in his features before looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her very carefully and preparing to run if he needed to and with a smirk she grabbed a hold of his lapel before pulling him into the water, making sure to hold on to him just in case and she was happy she did as he quickly grabbed a hold of her as an anchor. "You okay there?"

"Uhh…yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"You're holding onto me _awfully_ tight."

"Is hugging a crime?"

"Sly…you're practically using me as a floatation device." The raccoon had nothing to say to that as he lessened his hold and taking a deep breath. As he looked at Jenna he noticed that there was nothing but concern contorting her features. "Do you not know how to swim?"

"Never really had time to learn," The raccoon chuckled sheepishly as he released her from his hold to find that the water only came up to his waist and a blush of embarrassment soon came to his cheeks. The wolf's concern remained, but it had lessened.

"Do you want to learn?"

"As nice an offer that is Jen, I'll pass." He remarked as he went to get out of the pool only to be stopped by the wolf who was now giving him a deadpanned look.

"How is it a thief doesn't know how to swim?" She quirked a brow, holding onto his arm and pulling him back into the water. "It's not complicated Sly." She chuckled. "What Bentley does is complicated, swimming is as easy as breathing when you get used to it."

"Jen –"

"You're not getting out of this Sylvester." The raccoon stared at her slack jawed as she placed her hands on her hips, a wide smirk forming.

"How in the world did you get that name?"

"Bentley's password wasn't all that hard to crack." She remarked with a growing grin. "Though, I do have to admit that using your name as a password was smart and kinda cute."

"I'm positive you're the first person that's ever called my name anything remotely close to _cute_."

"Oh stop it, it's not that bad." She waved her hand. "In fact, I know a few people that would kill to have your first name instead of theirs."

"Oh yeah?" Sly questioned. "Like who?"

"My next door neighbor was named Kelly."

"What's so wrong about that?"

Jenna smirked at him. "Her last name was Green." The raccoon was silent for a moment before chuckling. "So now that we got that out of the way…"

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Sly shook his head as Jenna took his hands again and waded into the water and away from the side of the pool. The wolf quirked a brow at him and sighed.

"Do you want to know how I learned to swim?"

"It can't be much worse than this."

"My dad threw me into the pool and told me either learn how to swim or drown." The raccoon stared at her incredulously as she shrugged. "Needless to say I learned real quick."

"How deep was the pool?"

"Fifteen feet…maybe deeper?" Jenna frowned as she tried to remember how deep the pool had actually been. "I don't really remember…I was only five at the time."

"That's just cruel."

"Well since I now know about who I am, I don't think he necessarily cared about my well being. " She sighed. "My mom was the only one who ever took care of me and whenever she wasn't around it was Melissa and her husband." Shaking her head she returned herself to the present task. "That's not important…" She sighed, "What is important is that you're now chest deep and not freaking out."

Sly looked down and shrugged slightly. He felt comfortable knowing that he was being eased into it and soon enough he was clumsily treading water, Jenna swimming around him and making sure that he wasn't going to drown. "This," He panted as he continued to tread, "isn't that hard!"

"You're doing good," She smiled. "Now we're going to do this like you did back in Paris okay?" When Sly nodded she moved away from him, treading water further away from him. "Okay, what you want to do is use your legs to push you through the water since they're much stronger than your arms. Use your arms to guide you…when you're ready push towards me."

At least a half hour later the raccoon was following after the wolf as she contend to swim away from him, trying to get him used to the feeling of swimming around in a pool without help. She stopped as she came to the edge of the pool and smiling. "You know, this isn't that bad…"

"I'm impressed." She offered him a smile and he returned it with a smirk of his own. "With the way you came into the pool I half expected you to be completely unbearable."

"Oh how the mighty have fallen."

The wolf quirked a brow at him before heaving herself out of the pool and twisting her hair in order to dislodge the water. Tossing the wet strands back over her shoulder she sighed, crossing her legs and leaning back to look up at the sky. She heard the water give before a sopping wet Sly sat himself beside her, shaking his head to dislodge the water from his own hair before joining her.

"You know, I think the night sky says more than the day."

"It's a balance." She smiled softly, resting her hands on her stomach and sighing softly. "Back home I was never really able to look at them."

"The stars?" When she nodded he frowned, returning his eyes to the night sky and sighing. "They have a way of representing something that's so much bigger than us entirely."

"Yeah?" She questioned softly, her eyes staring directly at the sky. "How so?"

"Each star has its own characteristics…no two are ever exactly the same." She turned her eyes to stare at Sly as he began to explain what he meant. "Like those two," He smiled as he pointed to two further above them. "They're both stars, but one is bigger than the other." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "They also make shapes into the Constellations that a lot of people find relates to them. Mine is the Sagittarius."

"Mine's the Leo." Jenna chuckled. "Ironic isn't it?"

Sly only chuckled as he leaned closer to her so that she could follow the path of his finger. "Look there," He commented, tracing a certain cluster of stars. "That's Cancer, the crab." He then pointed further away with a grin. "That there is the little dipper."

Jenna's eyes followed his finger as he traced each Constellation before smirking and pointing out another cluster. "That looks like half a stick figure…" Sly followed her finger before laughing, "What?"

"That's Gemini," he smiled. "The twins."

"Oh…" Jenna sighed before laughing lightly, "How do you know?"

Sly only smiled. "As a kid, I spent a lot of time looking at the stars…it was a small hobby." He shrugged. "I was always told that to the creatures of the night the stars provide light and sometimes hope."

"Hope?"

"In the darkest of places there's always a little bit of light to guide us…" He frowned softly as if speaking now from a memory and Jenna's brow furrowed. "My mom used to tell me that for us Coopers, the stars are our hope. If we can't see the stars, then we can never really know that we're alive or that we're free." He frowned. "When I was little I never really understood what she meant until now."

Jenna didn't know what to say to him as his brow pinched. He was sharing something personal and she felt slightly awkward, but at the same time it brought comfort to her. She was silent for a few moments before sighing softly. "My mom used to talk all the time about how she missed the stars and how beautiful they were after we left Alaska." Jenna began softly, her eyes once again fixated on the stars above her. "She was a wolf…like me and was a part of a native tribe…or so she said." She frowned suddenly, her brows pinching. "I remember her always saying that the stars were gateways for our ancestors to guide us and that they, along with the moon, provided light for us so that the dark spirits wouldn't harm us."

"That's actually rather poetic," Sly commented with a smile, earning one from Jenna.

"I'm glad you think so," She sighed. "My father and brother never understood her…I actually think they were somehow connected to how she disappeared because she defended me all the time." When the raccoon quirked his brow she sighed. "My older brother wasn't exactly the aspiring role model and spent most of his time trying to get me into trouble. Since he was my father's favorite, I didn't stand a chance. He could've killed someone in front of my father and he would have said it was my fault that the person died." She shook her head. "My mother was always defending me, saying that they were becoming tainted with dark spirits and that it was unnecessary to constantly be picking on me. But when she disappeared it all managed to fall apart."

Sly was silent as she explained herself. He was happy she had no problems with speaking about herself or her family and he didn't mind listening. The scars of his parents' untimely deaths had never exactly healed and he rarely spoke about them because of it. After a few nightmares back when he was in the orphanage he was forced to consult a psychologist and instead expressed his troubles to his two older friends. That had been the scariest thing he had ever done in his life and to even share a little about his parents to Jenna had surprised him. Shaking himself of his thoughts he frowned at her. "Did they ever say what happened to her?"

"No." She frowned. "I remember, the night before she disappeared, she had come into my room and had told me something…something about a book." She shook her head with a heavy sigh. "I had been half asleep and hadn't really heard what she had said, but I only wish I knew what she had been talking about. When I asked my father the next morning he told me that she would never be coming back." With a furrowed brow she sighed, falling silent as she began to slip into her memories.

Sly frowned deeply before nudging her with his elbow. "You alright?"

"Just…painful to remember," She sighed softly. "Anyway, I never asked my father about her again…based off of the way he reacted." She explained as she rubbed her wrist.

The raccoon was beginning to see a pattern with her that was beginning to worry him. Every time she spoke about her family, her father and brother specifically, she would rub a certain part of her body. Whether she did it consciously or not, he didn't know, but he was leaning more towards her not knowing she did it.

"A few months after my fourteenth birthday, my dad and brother had gone out as my brother had his police exam, I searched my father's room and found one of my mother's tribal necklaces…it had been smashed into little pieces. At first I had thought that this was his coping method, but soon found out later on that it was the complete opposite." Her brow furrowed. "I never told my dad about it, in fear of him taking it the wrong way."

"I know what you mean." The raccoon commented with a sigh. "Parents do that a little too often I've noticed."

"I think it's a defense mechanism." Jenna remarked slowly, "Kinda like they don't want their children to find their flaws because they're not supposed to have any in our eyes."

Sly considered what she had said before nodding. "It's funny...my dad used to always be the more serious out of my parents. I think it's because he was trying to be a role model."

"It could've also been because you were his son and heir of the title _Cooper_ you know…" Sly considered this for a moment before nodding slowly in response.

"Maybe," Jenna watched as he shrugged lightly. "He was always there when I needed him though. Any question I ever had, anything I tried to do he was there to make sure I didn't fail. I remember the day I was supposed to inherit the _Thievius Raccoonus_…I had never seen him look so proud." Sly sighed heavily. "He used to always say, when he was teaching me how to thieve, that behind every fortune is a crime and behind the best crime is a great team and that a thief is born, not made…it's just weird…even after all of these years how much I still miss him." Jenna frowned softly before rolling onto her side and facing him.

"I wish I could say I know what you mean about your dad…but I feel the same about my mom." She sighed, tracing shapes into the concrete between them as she spoke. "She used to always tell me that time unlocks the truth of our past and when we finally allow time to unlock that door, we can discover the true person that lies inside. I never really knew what she meant until recently. She used to always use the expression "_The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us_."

"That's…what does that even mean?" Jenna looked to the raccoon and chuckled.

"It's an old quote once said by Black Elk – the Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux." Sly quirked a brow at her and she only smiled. "My mother used to quote him a lot in order to make her points…basically what he meant was that in order to understand what has happened, what is happening and what will happen we must first look to ourselves and how we impact the greater scheme of things." She explained. "In my mother's religion, it was believed that the Earth was our mother and that our Father was the Great Spirit. Both of which help nurture us and cultivate us. So she used this phrase among others…"

"Like what?"

"Well one she said often was in her language, _Mitakuye Oyasin_, which simply meant _we are all related_."

"I don't understand that one either."

Jenna only chuckled before sighing softly, "I still don't really know what it means, but based off of what I do know, it just means that we all hold the Great Spirit within us and so we are all related." She then frowned softly, her lips twitching with her scowl, "There are times when I think about her and I wish she had never left, but I can't change the past. What's done is done and the pain isn't going to go away over night. It could take years before it finally subsides, but as long as we remember them and we don't forget what kind of person they were while they were here and how they impacted us they never really go away."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that they may no longer physically be here anymore, but they live on within us." She sighed softly. "At least you hold their memory and that's what counts. Clockwerk took them away physically, but you're still around…maybe fate was trying to tell you something by you surviving the ordeal…I mean look at you?" She smiled then. "You're a notorious master thief and you're a decent guy, you grew up well despite what happened to you and I know I can't say that living in an orphanage is wondrous and amazing, but it's better than growing up on the streets."

It was silent between the two of them for a moment before the raccoon sighed lightly. "Thanks Jenna…"

"No worries," She smiled. "I'm just glad I can help."

The raccoon was silent for a few moments before smiling, shuddering as a chill ran through his damp clothes and fur and as he looked over at Jenna he didn't know how she wasn't cold. With a grunt he managed to pick himself off of the ground before holding out a hand to her. "It's starting to get a little cold out here."

"It is." She answered softly, taking his two hands and allowing him to pull her up. With a smile she sighed, adjusting her dress and standing straight. "Thanks Sly."

"For what?"

"Just…thanks."

"You're welcome princess." As the two returned to their rooms Sly stopped by her door and pulling out her room's key card, smirked. "Now can I trust you not to run off with this?" The wolf laughed quietly and took the card from his hand.

"Really Sly, you're too much."

"I know, I'm just fantastic."

"Keep telling yourself that and it might actually come true."

The raccoon stared at her for a second before chuckling. It was obvious the heaviness of their previous heart-to-heart had been pushed aside for a lighter tone as the two were now joking around as if nothing had happened, yet at the back of both of their minds they knew that they had most certainly become closer. "Ah that wit of yours will never get old."

"I'd hope not." She smirked, sliding the card into the door and pushing it open as the light blinked green. "Thanks again for tonight Sly."

"I wish I had a recorder so that I could count how many times you manage to thank me." The raccoon chuckled. "But for all it's worth, you're welcome."

Jenna only shook her head a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "Get out of here you devious raccoon."

"Why thank you," He winked, a smirk twitching at his lips, "Wouldn't want to disappoint a beautiful lady."

Jenna rolled her eyes before bidding him good night and closing the door. As she began to change out of her dress she sighed to herself, "You're getting yourself in too deep here girl." Placing the dress off to the side she grabbed the robe out of the closet and tied it around her, taking a shower was the next thing on her list.

As she allowed the warm water to run over her form she allowed herself to think about what had happened in the last few weeks. If memory served her right, June 24th was the day she was kidnapped by the Cooper gang and since then it had been about two weeks. _I'd say it's about July 13__th_…she estimated with a deep sigh. After standing in the shower for an unknown length of time, she decided that washing her hair would be a good idea and soon she was out of the shower. Frowning she heard a knocking on her door and she quickly wrapped her robe around her once more and quickly towel dried her hair, tossing the towel over her shoulder before answering the door.

Looking around she saw no one, the only thing lying in front of her door was a single rose with a note rolled around its stem and tied off with a black ribbon. Frowning she picked the flower off of the floor before looking around once more, seeing no one, and closing her door. She turned the lock before looking down at the flower in her hand, untying the ribbon and unrolling the small piece of parchment.

_All birds, even those of the same species, are not alike, and it is the same with animals and with human beings. The reason WakanTanka does not make two birds, or animals, or human beings exactly alike is because each is placed here by WakanTanka to be an independent individuality, and to rely upon itself…  
- _

She frowned to herself as she reread the small parchment before placing it on her dresser and getting changed into her night clothes which consisted of a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Grabbing the piece of paper she looked over the note once more before jumping as another knock came to her door. Frowning she unfolded herself from the bed and made her way to the adjoining door to see Sly and Murray standing there with matching grins and a variety of video games. "Um…?"

"Wanna play Halo with us again Jenna!" Murray questioned with a large grin and Jenna pinched the skin between her eyes and sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as she scratched the back of her head, her hair still damp. "_Please_!"

"Yeah, sure…" She nodded, ignoring the shouts of joy and tucking herself back onto her bed, her eyes running over the parchment once more.

"What're ya lookin' at over there princess?"

Jenna's head snapped up at the sound of Sly's voice so close to her ear and she jumped in surprise, almost ripping the thin paper in half. "Geez Sly don't do that!" The raccoon only laughed before looking over the script written, his brow pinching. "I don't know what it is any more than you do…it was left outside of my door attached to the rose on my dresser."

"Well…the quote looks like one you said earlier."

"It's a Native American saying, yes, but I don't know why it was left to me."

"Well you're Native American right Jenna?" Murray questioned as he scratched the back of his head. "Couldn't it be someone from your family trying to give you a message?"

"Well based on the test done by Neyla I'm Italian because of my dad…"

"I don't know Jen, you were talking pretty fluently outside."

"Well that's because of the woman who raised me." Jenna sighed. "I don't know what this means, but I'm sure we'll find out."

"You should have Bentley look over it…maybe he can lift finger prints off of it." Sly frowned as he took the paper from her hands. Jenna leaned over his shoulder so that she could still see it, hoping that if she read it a few more times she would be able to figure out what it meant. "Do you know anyone with the initials ST?"

"Not off hand, no." The she-wolf frowned. "If it was my mother it would have been Sumanitu-Taka."

"What does Sumanit-what's-it mean?"

Both wolf and raccoon looked up at Murray who had spoken and the wolf sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Sumanitu-Taka…it means wolf in the Lakota language…not really all that creative, but it was the elders of the tribe that came up with the name."

"How?"

Sly and Murray watched in interest as Jenna sighed, "Well historically, each of the tribes were divided based on race…so me being a wolf I would have been a member of either the Sumanitu-Taka or another tribe…I can't really remember the name, but there was a tribe for each race." She frowned suddenly, leaning on Sly and taking back the parchment. "I'd have to figure out which dialect it's inferred and what the other tribes follow the words of Shooter Teton Sioux…or any of the Sioux tribe members for that matter…"

"You mean to tell me, just by reading this, you're able to tell who said it?" The raccoon inquired as he eyed the younger female, his brows furrowing as she nodded her head. "That's…a talent I guess."

"When I was a kid, my mom made me learn all about the members of the Sioux, constantly using their words and constantly making me quote them…I can recognize a quote from any tribe member and tell you who said it."

"Well you failed to mention that one." Jenna only shrugged, thanking Murray when he handed her a controller. Sly frowned slightly, watching the wolf closely as she and Murray began to play the game. She seemed to know more than she was letting on and he was going to get to the bottom of it…whatever it was…

* * *

Okay I'm sure you all have a LOT of questions about what just happened all over this chapter. Keep in mind this is a Sly/OC pairing and while you all know this I can't just jump in and make them absolutely love each other - it's in neither of their profiles haha. The talk between Jenna and Sly about their more personal lives expresses the solace they find within the other as well as the deepening of their current friendship as we know Sly holds a special place for Carmelita in his heart yet ;)

Anyway, as always, reviews are lovely and appreciated but not mandatory for an update! I hope you all enjoyed and feel free to leave me any feedback/comments/suggestions via review or even through PM. I love to hear from all of my readers :)

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for chapter 7 ;3

Much Love,  
timexgone23


	7. An Unfortunate Family Reunion

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note: **Ah, a new update :) So excited haha! I'm sorry for the longer wait for this chapter – I ran into a few roadblocks with this one especially since you actually _learn_ about Jenna in this chapter and you get to meet the only animal that she's legitimately scared of…I'll leave it at that and let you throw virtual inanimate objects at me towards the end. I'm not going to go into too much detail in the author's note, rather I'll let you enjoy the story :)

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far (and only in 2 chapters) and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 6**: _BananaB0mb, GraNNIeShufflez03, boona, Why Fireflies Flash_ and _Carmen Veiga:_

_Carmen Veiga: _Haha as I was writing the pool scene I was laughing to myself. Jenna and Sly are very much in the same that they don't exactly stay mad – they just get even (of course this is reserved to their friends only, but you get what I mean lol). Anyway thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :D

_boona: _Wow, thank you so much! I really wanted to capture the forming of their friendship here and I'm glad it turned out to be your favorite chapter yet :)! And of course! I'm always here to please my readers and I'm even happier that that scene made you smile ;D Lol, yes, thank you so much for that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and thank you for your review!

_GraNNIeShufflez03: _O.M.G. I won't even lie to you when I say I had to go back and read it again and you're right…of course, I added in the whole "Simba and Mufasa" voices and it only left me near hysterics…in fact, my mother had to poke her head into my room to see if I was okay (shakes head). And awww I'm glad I made you smile…I'd wager you felt all warm and tingly inside as well…hee hee! And thank you! I love Native American quotes and to know you, a Native American Enthusiast (I lived with you don't lie to me lol), found them fitting ;) Haha anyways thanks for the review, as always, and I hope you enjoy the chapter ;D

_BananaB0mb: _Haha! Yeah, during the summer I have a little more free time on my hands (grins). And thank you, I was sad to see my baby go – but thankfully I still have two more stories with those characters…I can cry at the end of the third one lol xD. And I'm really happy you enjoyed it! And it's funny you mention Jenna being jealous of Carmelita ;) You'll just have to wait and see how that plays out, but I can tell you that she does begin to get a little jealous lol. And thanks! I got really excited at how long it was haha :D Anyway thank you, as always, for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Why Fireflies Flash: _Haha yeah, this was a really fun chapter to write :D I'm glad you enjoyed their interactions and I'll admit, my favorite scene was the van as well :) Believe it or not, I found out about that through the comics (I hadn't been aware that there even were comics!) and it was absolutely adorable. My computer wouldn't let me see the whole thing so I had to fill in the parts about them getting detention, but I digress lol :) And yeah, she taught him how to swim, but he'll never use it hahahaha! And the rose…yes, that was put there on purpose and I'm actually kinda glad it made you nervous haha (rubs head sheepishly). But you'll learn later it's significance ;) OMG thank you! You definitely picked up on a huge part. Yes she did and that's why it's moving slowly – especially since both have their skeletons in their closets ;) Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and, as always, thank you for your review :D (P.S. Pirates is up ;D)

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
07_

The day before they were supposed to leave Monaco, Bentley had knocked on Jenna's door. Sly had managed to convince him to give her a chance and to get to know her a little better and so the reptile found himself standing awkwardly in front of her door.

"Just a second!" She came her muffled call from behind the door and Bentley pulled at the collar of his shirt, fidgeting nervously. A few seconds later, Jenna opened the door and offered the turtle a small smile. "Oh, Bentley, come on in." The turtle stepped into the room, watching as Jenna closed the door before moving back into the room. "So what do I owe the pleasure?" She smiled.

_She's in a good mood_, Bentley noticed and sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose for a lack of anything to say before clearing his throat. "I…uhh, just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing." He gulped as Jenna quirked a brow at him before shrugging and tying her hair up into a fast messy bun at the back of her head and pulling an olive green zip up hoodie over her tank top.

"Well, I was going to just go check out the strip with Sly and Murray, but they were supposed to be here over an hour ago." She frowned with a sigh as she looked at her watch. Bentley frowned.

"They told me the same thing."

"Hmm…odd." She frowned as she ran a hand through her bangs before smiling slightly at him. "Well, would you like to join me in my search for the two miscreants we call teammates?"

"Sly falls under that category easily, but Murray is normally influenced…he wouldn't just easily leave us behind."

"Too true," Jenna nodded. "So shall we commence operation _Wild Goose Chase_?"

"That just solidifies that we are never letting you name a heist." Bentley smirked and earning a laugh from the wolf.

"Please, like you could've come up with better!" She smiled. "If it's anything like the one you named back in France, we're going to have some serious issues."

"_Thunder Beak _was a clever name."

"For bringing down a sign?" She inquired with a laugh. "Bentley, even I'm not that bad."

The turtle gaped openly at her. _Sly's never going to hear the end of this that's for sure_!

The two walked in silence for a long while before Bentley decided he should take Sly's advice in trying to get to know her, however, his definition of trying to "get to know her" was slightly different than the raccoon's. Where Sly was trusting, Bentley was not. The turtle sighed to himself, he knew that if they got any more attached then this could end badly if they realized _exactly _who they were dealing with: an Auteri. A deep frown came to Bentley's mouth as he thought about what he had read just on the internet, not even through his legitimate sources, and he was worried. The Auteri family was an incredibly powerful clan of assassins that roamed the Middle East for centuries before they began to show up in places like Italy and Spain. His concern was mostly placed upon the articles about their work – they were rumored to be able to complete an assassination without ever setting foot into the building itself, thus never getting caught as there was no evidence to convict. However, this only solidified his original fear of having her on the team…what if she became dangerous? Shaking the thought he looked up at the she-wolf to see that she was talking to a rather pretty crane at the front desk.

"No?" She sighed softly, pinching the bridge of her snout. "Okay…thank you anyway ma'am." The crane nodded before going back to her job, answering the phone of the front desk as it rang. Jenna stood before Bentley with a frown touching her lips. "She said she hasn't seen either one of them…"

This made the turtle nervous. What had she said! "What kind of description did you give that crane!"

The wolf's brow arched at his exclamation, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she shot him a bemused look. "I told her you were all international criminals," She rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping heavily from her statement. "I just asked her if she had seen a raccoon or a hippo walking about down here…I didn't really give too much detail."

"What did you say _exactly_?"

"Bentley, chill." The wolf huffed, "I don't plan on ratting you guys out any time soon. I just asked her if she had seen a raccoon and a hippo, male, walking around at any point this morning." She rolled her eyes. "The receptionist had just come in for work so it didn't really help me…and for the record, there are a lot of other hippos and raccoons in the world other than Murray and Sly…just throwing that out there."

"Whatever, let's just find them."

"Easy Bentley, no need to get your trousers in a twist." Jenna eyed the turtle carefully before the two of them made their way out of the hotel. Folding her arms over her chest the wolf snorted softly to herself. If this is the way that her day with Bentley was going to go she was going to tell Sly just where exactly he could shove his cane. A fair punishment for standing her and the turtle up; not only leaving the two of them to their own devices, but forcing them to spend more than five minutes alone…_together_. She frowned suddenly as the thought of spending more time with the obnoxious turtle crossed her mind. Didn't Sly and Murray realize that the two of them obviously did _not _get along? It was an unspoken agreement between the two of them to simply avoid the subject for fear of hurting Sly and Murray, but it was obvious the two had noticed the tension between the two of them and were trying to fix it in the only way they knew how. Returning to the task of finding the two missing members of the Cooper gang (if only to relieve herself time spent with the turtle – moment's she knew she'd never get back) she sighed. "Where do you think they could be?"

The turtle looked up at her out of the corner of his eye and sighed, "If the two of them are doing this on purpose, which I'm almost certain they are, they're gonna be hard to find."

"Why's that?"

Bentley pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Jenna, they're _master thieves_. If they don't want to be found they're not going to be found."

"All well and good," The wolf remarked in her own exasperation with his attitude. "But that doesn't help narrowing down the search for the two of them." She rolled her eyes at the simplicity of it. "Seriously Bentley you're the brains of the outfit _and _you've known them the longest, they're _your _friends, where do _you _think they are?"

"Well Murray is drawn to food…so maybe the local shops will yield results." Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Okay so…let's go."

~ _2 hours later ~_

"I swear to whatever deity exists in this world; that raccoon is getting smacked when I find him."

Bentley looked up at the agitated she-wolf and sighed, "Why don't we head back to the hotel?"

"Sure," She frowned with a nod. "It seems to be our only option."

The two walked back to the hotel in silence. Jenna and Bentley had spent almost two hours arguing with one another about where they could find the other two members of the Cooper gang, the entire time the wolf stating that she felt as if someone was watching them. Every time it was brought up the turtle told her she was losing her mind and that if she spent as much time worrying about prying eyes she could've found Sly or Murray…or both. To say the wolf was annoyed was for a lack of better terms as she crossed her arms over her chest and walked next to the reptile.

As they got into the elevator Bentley felt his binocucom vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out, the red button on the top blinking and expressing that one of his teammates was trying to get in touch with him. The reptile placed the device to his eyes and pressed the flashing red button, Jenna watching in a new found curiosity. "What Sly?"

"That's Sly?"

Bentley waved her off and the wolf fell silent, her ears flattening as she eyed him dangerously. "Where are you?" It was silent for a few moments before the turtle sighed deeply. "Okay I'll bring her back to our room." He put the device away and shook his head. Jenna said nothing as the doors opened, too frustrated with the turtle to form words except foul ones. Bentley pushed his key card into the door and walked in, holding the door despite himself for Jenna. The wolf nodded her thanks and closed the door behind her and she quirked a brow.

_Only these guys can make a hotel room look like a science lab._ She shook her head slightly. _I can only imagine what room service said…_She was pulled from her musings as Murray smiled at her warmly. Jenna returned it, not one to remain mad for too long, as she laid herself on the bed so she was on her stomach next to him and his coloring books before grabbing one and some of the crayons. The hippo only smiled at the younger female. The two ignored Sly and Bentley who were arguing – well, it was more Bentley was speaking forcefully and Sly was smirking at him – simply content to spend their time with one another as the "Sly and Bentley" arguments rolled. It was very rare to see Sly be serious when it came to the arguments, actually, Jenna recalled that the only time that she had seen him serious was when he was arguing with Bentley about having her talk to Crimson Fletcher since none of the members spoke Italian…or Spanish, German, Tagalog or Vietnamese. Scratching her cheek with the back of her crayon she was suddenly thankful her father had forced her to study languages as it was something he told her she would need.

"So Jenna," The wolf looked up at Murray who had shifted so he was sitting Indian style on the bed, the coloring book in his lap. "How'd your day with Bentley go?" Eying him carefully Jenna could see the genuine curiosity and sighed.

"Um…all we did really was argue, but it wasn't all bad I guess." She shrugged. "How about you guys?"

"It was radical! We hung out here all day!"

"What?"

"Yeah, we hung out around the hotel and checked some things out." He shrugged, "We were mostly in the gym on the top floor."

"Oh really?" She inquired, eyeing the raccoon from across the room to see that he and Bentley were now on the computer and pulling up information on what appeared to be a tiger. "What do have there boys?"

"Another Clockwerk part surfaced in India," Sly answered with a frown as he observed the computer screen. Jenna frowned, standing from her position on the bed and placing her coloring book and crayons to the side, Murray following her, as she leaned on Sly's shoulder to look at the screen as well.

"So who's your next target?"

"A mysterious Spice Lord named Rajan, a self-made man who grew up poor on the streets of Calcutta. He started his life of crime selling illegal spices in the black market. Eventually growing his small outfit into a sizeable operation and earning himself a seat in the prestigious Klaww gang." The raccoon explained, "He's since crowned himself the "Lord of the Hills" and while he goes to convince others of his royalty...it's mostly to convince himself."

"Sounds charming," The wolf muttered shaking her head. Sly only chuckled.

"Yeah, true to form, he's holding a lavish ball in his newly purchased "Ancestral Palace" - the reason? To show off his latest acquisition: The Clockwerk Wings…" As he trailed off Jenna frowned. She didn't need to be told about his feelings on the wings. She had managed over the week to sneak into their room and read small passages from the Thievius Raccoonus and according to the descriptions in the passages they were the symbol of Sly's enemy. It had said that if you saw the wings silhouetted against the night sky it was already too late for you, _especially_ if your name was Cooper. "Anyway, Rajan believes that displaying the wings will bring him prestige and maybe they will, but they're also bringing us."

"Right…so I guess we're loading up the van right?"

"It would appear so…let's try and make this as fast as possible and get to India…it's gonna take about a five day ride."

"Oh lord help us." Jenna sighed as she began roping wires around her shoulder and elbow, her eyes watching the members of the Cooper gang closely, "Five days in the van?"

"Just be happy it isn't a drive to China," Bentley remarked from the other side of the room as he began packing his computers into their respective cases. "That trip takes us at least a week and a half of driving."

Sly almost laughed at the expression on her face as she stared at the turtle, his smile widening as she grunted loudly, "Haven't you guys ever heard of airplanes, yeah, they're a hell of a lot faster than driving."

"We can't take a plane because of the parts," Bentley sighed in exasperation, nearly glaring at the wolf from the other side of the room. Sly was no fool, he could see the tension between the two – it was apparent that his plan to get them to get along hadn't worked out so well. He sighed heavily as Jenna snorted loudly, but otherwise said nothing.

It only took them an hour to pack the van and check out of the hotel. Jenna had taken the liberty, while the raccoon was checking out of their rooms, to change into her sweatpants again. If they were going to be traveling that long without any means of changing, she was sure she was going to be comfortable. Once more, the wolf was assigned to the back of the van next to Sly as Bentley had taken up navigations to India. Jenna didn't mind this arrangement as she was allowed to stretch herself out and not worry about the turtle complaining that her feet were in his general vicinity. Naturally, when he had complained during their trip from Paris to Monaco, she had only shifted so she was more than just in his esteemed _bubble_; needless to say, Murray had to pull over in order to help Sly stop that argument resulting in the two having to switch places.

The wolf frowned as she unrolled the parchment once more, her eyes falling once again upon the signature that was scripted beneath the quote. She knew, for a fact, that the quote was said by one of her mother's favorite tribes, but didn't understand the connection between the initials and the quote itself. The Sioux was a tribe that Jenna had spent hours upon hours studying her mother's tomes, finding them just as interesting as her mother had. Sighing she pinched her brow before her scowl deepened, "Hey Bentley?"

"Yes, Jenna?" She ignored the exasperation in his tone as she reread the small quote, her brows furrowing deeply.

"Do you still have my pocket watch?" She missed the look of confusion that Bentley and Sly shared before the turtle cleared his throat and nodded slowly.

"Yes…why?"

"Can I see it please?" When there was no movement the wolf looked up to see Bentley shooting her a strange look. "Today Bentley…" She rolled her eyes as she urged him to give her the watch. The turtle sighed before handing it over, watching carefully as Jenna opened the watch and took out the picture before flipping it over. Sly frowned, moving forward to see what she was looking at. "Well…this is certainly strange."

"What is?"

Jenna glanced at the raccoon out of the corner of her eye and frowned, her eyes tracing the image on the back of the photo. "This image…I've swear I've seen it before…but I can't be sure. It's too faded and too vaguely drawn." The wolf frowned as she shook her head. The image that was drawn on the back of her family photo was a circle and four lines hanging off of it with four matching shapes hanging from that, she could faintly make out the lines in the center of the circle as well as a paw print, however, the rest was lost to her eyes – appearing much older than what she was estimating. "It was in a few of my mom's books that I read when I was a kid." She frowned softly, before flipping the pocket watch over in her hands to the crest that was engraved. "Why would my dad leave something like this to me when he hated the fact my mother was Native American?"

"If it helps any, that crest is the Coat of Arms for the Genovese family."

Jenna looked up at Bentley with a furrowed brow, glancing back at both pieces before sighing. "It doesn't add up…especially if my dad's last name wasn't Genovese, it was Auteri."

"Well whichever it is, I'm sure the clues will pop out eventually."

"Somehow I doubt that." The wolf sighed before placing the photo back into the watch and closing it, looping the chain around her neck and pulling up her hood. The van had fallen silent once more and the wolf sighed, fingering the chain around her neck thoughtfully. None of the things she had managed to figure out about herself were adding up and she was beginning to lean more and more towards what Murray had suggested when she had first gotten the rose. Frowning suddenly she looked up at the raccoon who was sitting across from her. "Sly, what did you ever do with my phone?"

"Um…" By the sheepish look on his face she knew immediately that something had happened to it and she sighed.

"Never mind."

"Sorry Jen."

"It's no problem Sly, I figured I'd ask." She shrugged. Mentally she cursed to herself before sighing. Not having a computer was beginning to become very frustrating to her research into her family lines. Wanting to know all of the answers was beginning to bubble to the surface along with her impatience and her desperation to know who she really was.

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She spent most of the trip trying to piece together everything together between the rose, the parchment and the pocket watch. On day four, she was absolutely exhausted and, like Sly, spent most of her time napping when possible. Blinking up at the ceiling of the van she sighed heavily before murmuring the question of the hour, "Are we there yet?"

"For the seventh time in the last hour, Jenna, no."

"Hey Bentley,"

"What?"

_POP!_

"Will you _stop_ with the annoying questions and sounds!"

Sly had originally been amused by her antics, but even he too was beginning to grow tired of the constant arguing and he pinched the bridge of his snout as Jenna popped her gum once more. He shot a look to Murray who was looking at him almost pleadingly as the turtle cringed in the passenger seat, obviously at the end of his last nerve. "Alright everyone just calm down. Jenna _please_ stop trying to annoy Bentley; Bentley the more you ignore her, the better off you are."

Jenna rolled her eyes, returning her attention back onto the pocket watch around her neck. Sly sighed heavily in relief as the two seemed to do as he asked and turned his eyes to the front window so that he could see how close they actually were to Rajan's Ancestral Palace. A smile came to his face as he was able to see the palace in the distance, he was now wide awake after his day long nap.

"Alright guys we're here."

"Finally!" Jenna sighed in relief as Murray parked. She wasted no time in exiting the van and stretching. They hadn't stopped for the entire length of the trip except to refuel and stock up on snacks and drinks and Jenna was stiff. She popped her back and sighed in relief before turning and helping the guys move the equipment into the old watch tower that they would be using as their safe house. After moving the last of the boxes she began to unload the wires for Bentley's computers and taped them down so that none of them would trip on them before making her way to setting up the hammock. She sighed looking around their makeshift safe house, noticing that Bentley had already sent Sly out on his reconnaissance mission, the turtle himself on his computer and Murray sitting off to the side napping, she slipped out of the safe house and made her way to the van.

_Maybe I can…_Jenna's thought stopped when she noticed the _Thievius Raccoonus _sitting on the front seat. Curiosity got the better of her and instead of looking further into her history, she picked the thick, leather bound book off of the seat. As she flipped through the pages, she realized that Sly had already taught her some of the moves explained, however, her interest peeked when her eyes came across Clockwerk's name. With a furrowed brow she scanned the pages, it seemed as if each Cooper Clan member wrote detailed notes, not only on their personal thieving moves, but on their enemy as well. How then, with the warning of several ancestors, did Clockwerk manage to wipe out each member? And how was it that Sly had no idea who exactly he was dealing with until recently? Shaking her head she turned her eyes to the passage by Sly's late ancestor, Rioichi Cooper – creator of the _ninja spire jump_. After reading the passages from Sly's ancestor from Egypt, she had managed to read up until the more recent passages, unbeknownst to Sly himself.

She was half way through the passage when the door of the van opened resulting in her to jump, slam the book shut and turn to the source of the sound to see Sly grinning at her smugly.

Jerk.

"So _this_ is what you've been up to…" He chuckled as her when her surprised look turned slightly sheepish. "You know if you would've asked I wouldn't have minded letting you read it."

"Oops?"

"C'mon," Sly laughed with a shake of his head, "We need you back in the safe house."

"Me? Why me?" Sly didn't answer her as he took the book from her hands and motioned for her to the safe house with a smile. She sighed following after the raccoon and taking a seat at the small table, Bentley having set up the power point for the sequence of their next missions. The turtle nodded to the two of them before pressing the start button, the first image sliding into place.

"Stealing the Clockwerk wings in the middle of a crowded ballroom is going to take some _serious_ misdirection and the squad of undercover cops only makes things more complicated. Although, we might be able to use them to our advantage," As Bentley turned the slides she was able to recognize Neyla and Carmelita among other officers, but when he flashed the last image of the officers at the party her heart stopped. Sly, taking notice of her now stiff posture frowned, sharing a look with Bentley before nudging her.

"You okay?"

Jenna snapped out of her trance and looked at the raccoon before nodding. "Y-yeah…why wouldn't I be?"

"Just making sure…"

The next look of suspicion that Sly and Bentley shared went completely unnoticed to the wolf as she contemplated the officer's image. _What's he doing here! _Bentley cleared his throat before continuing, "But no matter what we do in the ballroom sooner or later we'll need to deal with Rajan's security chopper. Murray can take it out with some of the local armaments, but he won't be able to get inside until Sly lowers the drawbridge for him…Jenna, you'll be accompanying Sly in the ballroom."

Jenna nodded her head mutely, not at all registering what the turtle had said as her mind was still preoccupied. As the slideshow finished, Sly left the safe house to complete his next job and Jenna took the time to quench her angry stomach, all the while remaining completely silent. She barely heard Sly speaking to Bentley from his computer as she frowned. If that man was here at this party, she was sure that things were going to be getting extremely sticky for whatever the Cooper Gang was going to do to lift the wings from the ballroom. Running a hand through her hair she sighed, resting her head on her arm. She had just managed to doze off when she was being shaken awake once more and she grumbled, opening her eyes to see Bentley staring at her.

"Jenna you gotta get ready."

"Ready?" She frowned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Ready for what?"

"The ballroom…remember? You're in that mission."

"Wait…when was that decided!" She frowned as she rubbed her head. "Bentley, I have nothing to wear."

"Oh yes you do." Jenna turned her head to see Sly standing there with a long box in his hand, a smirk twitching at his lips. "I think I got your size right." When she shot Bentley a questioning look the turtle sighed heavily in exasperation.

"Sly is going to need your help in the ballroom Jenna, he can't just show up by himself it would look too suspicious. He'd look much more respectable while accompanying a lady." He waited for this to register in the wolf's mind before sighing once more as she shook her head.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, Bentley you've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"You complained in Paris about not having a job, this is your opportunity to prove that you can be an asset to this Gang." Bentley's breath hitched at the deadly glare she shot him before taking the box from Sly and grumbling something under her breath, retreating to the side room of the safe house. "Well…that went better than I expected." Sly only laughed before suiting up in the tuxedo he had managed to steal.

Jenna cursed as she pulled the dress out of the box and placed it to the side. She was suddenly thankful for the zip up she was wearing as she began the process of taming her hair. Inside the box, she had noticed that Sly had managed to steal her a few necessary items in order to make her job easier: Bobby pins and a small make up bag. He had probably not realized what it had been when he had taken it, but Jenna was glad he had. Twirling her hair into a French twist, she pinned her hair, allowing the excess to tumble over her shoulder, having pinned her bangs back away from her face, two stray stands managing to avoid the pins and fall to frame her face. She then added light make up to her eyes and the red stain she had found to her lips. If she was going to make this look realistic then she was going to go all the way. When she got to pulling on the dress she realized that the zipper was in the back and was going to give her problems. Sighing in exasperation she managed to zip the zipper, after struggling as her arm would not reach back that far before appraising herself in the mirror. For a quick change she didn't look half bad, or so she thought.

Sly sighed, he knew that it would take her longer to get ready, but he hadn't realized that she would take _this _long. Looking at his watch he looked to Bentley who was beginning to become impatient as well and just as he was about to open his mouth the door she had disappeared behind opened and the three friends found themselves looking at each other in surprise before looking back to the wolf. Being used to seeing the only female of their group in sweatshirts, pants and jeans on a normal daily basis had managed to leave them speechless when she managed to dress up. The dress Sly managed to steal was sleeveless and tinted a deep blue with a lighter blue running through the fabric that made it shimmer, but having been the one to steal it he knew it wasn't glitter. The dress framed the wolf's figure affectionately, the fabric loosening around her hips and fanning out across her feet loosely. She wore white gloves that reached her upper arms, and her dark hair was pulled over her shoulder from the bun that it had been placed in at the back of her head. Needless to say he was impressed.

(**A/N: **To get the idea about her hair, think Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_ when she was in her yellow ballroom dress – her hair is styled similarly.)

"Well?" She questioned, obviously embarrassed with the attention as she wrung her hands together. "Does the dress have shoes?" Sly shook himself of his thoughts before nodding, picking the shoes off of the chair and handing them to her. Jenna thanked him quietly before sitting down and pulling on her shoes, before tucking her necklace into the front of her dress she turned and offered Sly a small smile. "Well…are we ready to go?"

"Uh…yeah." He cleared his throat, Jenna quirked a brow before chuckling. "What?"

"You tied your bow-tie wrong doofus." She smirked before fixing it and placing her hands on her hips. "There, now let's go get this done." As the two exited the safe house Sly stopped her as they came to the stream. "How're we both supposed to get across?"

"Well, that's easy princess." Sly chuckled before picking her up and using the spire jump to cross the conical rocks just before the water fall. As he made it across he placed her on her feet and smirked before offering her his arm. Jenna rolled her eyes with a small smile before looping her arm through his. When she first saw one of the rhino guards her heart dropped, only for her to release the sigh she hadn't realized she was holding and earning a small chuckle from the raccoon. "Didn't think they'd scare you."

"Well considering we spend most of our time avoiding them, walking right into one of them nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Relax, you're with me remember?"

"There's no need to remind me." The wolf chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Now…what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"For now, we're supposed to scope out the ballroom and then if Bentley has any more information for us, we'll move." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she nodded. "Jenna," He paused, stopping her just before the palace and smiling at her. She eyed him as he took a ring out of his pocket and placing it on her left ring finger. "Let's make this as believable as possible…"

"Sure…" She grumbled, a deep blanket of red falling across her cheeks. "_Honey_."

He chuckled before turning towards the door. "You ready?" She nodded again and Sly knocked on the front door.

"You got your tuxedo now _sir_?" Jenna quirked a brow at the raccoon as he nodded smoothly.

"Of course I do, I'm here to dance."

"Then come on in."

"You tried to get in here before without a tux?"

"Um…yeah, Bentley overlooked the necessity of formal wear."

"Naturally," She rolled her eyes as she allowed the raccoon to lead her into the ballroom. She grunted as the earpiece in her ear beeped, signifying that Bentley was trying to get in touch with her. "What's up Bentley?"

"_Now guys, your disguises are working perfectly! No one will recognize you two in those outfits. Now, during the heist, Sly, you'll need to dance with Carmelita to keep both her and the crowd distracted. The only problem is she's picky about dance partners so you'll need to impress her first._" Sly looked at Jenna out of the corner of his eye and nodded towards Neyla.

"Alright, I've got just the girl for the job." He smirked before leaning into Jenna's ear. "We could use Neyla to our advantage here…"

"You're thinking what I'm thinking?" Jenna questioned quietly. "Let's go over and talk to her." Sly nodded and the two made their way over to the Constable. Sly smiled at her widely.

"Constable Neyla you look lovely this evening."

"I'm sorry," She seemed surprised that someone knew who she was, the tigress having looked miserable before the two had made their way over to her. "Do I know you?"

"My lovely _wife_ used to chase after you back in Paris."

"Paris…? Sly Cooper!" She questioned, her eyes widening before looking to Jenna, "And Jenna! You two aren't here by any chance to turn yourselves in? Old Ironsides would fall out of her dress." Neyla chuckled glancing at the fox out of the corner of her eye. Jenna chuckled along with her and Sly smiled.

"As good as that sounds, we need your help actually…"

"I'm listening."

"You obviously know why we're here, but in order for my…_husband_ to dance with Old Ironsides, we need to impress her…Do you think you'd be able to dance with Sly after me in order to get her attention?"

"You don't think she'll pay any attention with just you?" Neyla questioned and Jenna shook her head slowly. "You're probably right, she doesn't exactly know you so it wouldn't be as eye catching as if she was to dance with someone familiar that she knew."

"Right," She nodded with a smile. "So just to give you an idea we're Connor," She gestured to Sly, "And Alexis –"

"Harris." Sly smirked as Jenna had run blank on a last name and she shot him a glare in response.

"Harris and we're old friends from high school." Jenna finished with a grin. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all Jenna, _anything_ to see the expression on her face if she finds out it's Cooper," Jenna nodded as the tigress smiled widely.

"Okay, thanks for your help Neyla."

"Anytime."

Sly nodded to her in thanks as well before holding out his hand to the wolf, "Now that we know what we're doing, would you care for a dance?" Jenna, playing along nodded, accepting his hand and grinning.

"But of course." She winked at Neyla who shook her head as the two took their positions on the dance floor as the orchestra struck up on a flamenco number. "Flamenco?" Sly shrugged as he took the position he needed and smirked at her.

"Too much for ya princess?" Jenna only smirked.

"Ha! You would like that wouldn't you?" During the course of the dance, Jenna and Sly kept the easy jokes going in order to make it look like they were enjoying themselves to the spectators – as they were, but would never admit it – especially since the nature of the dance was fiery and upbeat. The wolf felt extremely content, happy that she was able to dance with someone who was relatively gifted. "I didn't know you could dance." She commented as he spun her before shuffling once more, leading her through each step naturally and giving her an opportunity to actually enjoy herself without worrying that he was going to step on her feet.

"Of course I can." He chuckled, "I managed to pick up a few things over the years."

"Don't tell me that you learned how to do this by watching videos."

"If I said _yes_ would that change your opinion any?" He questioned as his brow arched in amusement, a smile flickering upon his lips and earning a laugh from the wolf.

"I would've said yes, but I'm too impressed that you actually know what you're doing to comment." She smirked, the raccoon grinning as he led her into another shuffle and spin before dipping her as the end of the song came about. "You actually never cease to amaze me."

"So glad that I've won your approval," The raccoon smirked as he pulled her up, the wolf leaning into his chest and chuckling. "Shall we beautiful?"

"As much as I would love another dance at the moment, you need to dance with Neyla and win Carmelita's approval, remember?" For a moment she could see the surprise in his face as he seemed to _just_ remember why they were there in the first place and she felt flattered for a moment before taking his hand, making sure to keep up the appearances of them being a couple before making their way back to Neyla.

"You two are amazing dancers!" Neyla smiled. "You both looked spectacular out there."

"Thank you Neyla." Jenna blushed earning a playful nudge from Sly before he smiled at the tigress. "Constable Neyla, may I have this dance?"

"Enchanté." She smiled, taking his hand and allowing herself to be led to the dance floor. Jenna smiled as she watched the two dance, the orchestra playing a tango. She was nursing a glass of punch in her hand and watching the raccoon and tigress dance, chatting casually as he led her through each step. She was observing each guest, her eyes catching Carmelita who stood near Rajan's ancestral statue with her eyes transfixed on the dance. _Looks like the fish is taking the bait_…

"Excuse me, miss." Jenna turned and almost choked on her drink as the large tiger stood next to her, a demure smile twitching at his lips, his posture stating that he was the host of this particular party, a posture of pride and Jenna suddenly felt very small. She immediately got her act in check and curtsied, bowing her head in respect.

"Lord Rajan, it is an honor."

"Please, you do not need to be so formal." He smiled widely and Jenna straightened, glancing at Sly out of the corner of her eye to see that he was now watching them closely, his face tight with sudden anxiety. She dropped her hand to her side and gave him a sign to relax and he nodded slightly before she returned the tiger's smile. "You are quite an accomplished dancer."

"Thank you," She bowed her head again and smiled. "My husband and I are absolutely enjoying your party and are honored to be here." She noticed a sudden tightness to the tiger's face and she held her breath. Her intention had not been to anger him and so she decided to change the subject. "And the wings on your family's statue are absolutely exquisite." She heaved a mental sigh of relief when he smiled.

"Yes they do add a mystery do they not?"

"They most certainly do." She agreed with a smile while internally cringing, "Very beautiful."

"And I must inquire, while the wings are beautiful, yes, what a beauty such as yourself is called?"

Cue self-induced vomiting here.

Jenna cringed to herself as she smiled shyly, her act getting harder and harder to maintain at his obvious advances. Jenna was not the type that was normally sweet and innocent, her natural demeanor quirky and sarcastic, but nothing near…_cute_. "Mrs. Alexis Harris, my lord."

"Well Mrs. Harris, perhaps we may later share a dance?" He questioned, suddenly seeming very shy and it took the wolf for a loop and she suddenly felt sorry for the tiger. Not seeing the harm and smiled and curtsied once more.

"I would be honored." The smile that appeared on his face made Jenna a little nervous as he bowed, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"Until later madam," Jenna bowed her head before standing straight as Sly and Neyla finished their dance and made their way back towards Jenna, who quickly met them half way before taking Sly's arm shooting him a thankful look.

"Thank you, that was delightful."

"_Thank you_ Constable Neyla, after all, it takes two to tango." He smiled as the tigress nodded, a smile twitching upon her lips before turning into a frown as Carmelita began to make her way over towards the three of them.

"Yes, and three is always a crowd."

"Neyla, your friend is quite an accomplished dancer." Neyla smiled despite her obvious dislike of the fox, crossing her arms casually.

Jenna watched the two carefully, making it more pronounced that she was with Sly as the fox was obviously captivated. "I tried to make him look good." The tigress joked earning a scowl from the Latina.

"Please Neyla," She sneered. "His skills _far_ surpass yours."

Jenna decided it was time to make her presence known as she eyed the fox. "Well he still has a lot to learn." She smiled tightly, patting his arm for emphasis and she nearly narrowed her eyes as Carmelita looked at her. She appraised her and the ring on her finger before eyeing Sly, a flirtatious smile appearing on her lips that made Jenna's blood boil.

"Well regardless he's quite talented."

Sensing an argument, especially when Jenna slipped her arm from his, he decided to make his move. "Then perhaps you and I might share a dance Miss…?"

"Miss Fox," She answered quickly as she tucked a hair away from her face. "Carmelita Fox and I accept."

Jenna frowned deeply before turning as she was tapped on the shoulder and she nearly died at who was standing behind her. "Would you have a moment to talk miss?" The wolf eyed the older male carefully and nodded slowly before turning towards Neyla and hugging her. While no one had been looking she had slipped her ear piece out and as she hugged the tigress she slipped the piece onto the strap of her dress underneath her hair so that they'd have an ear on the inside. She then turned and followed the wolf who had caught her attention, suddenly wishing that Sly had noticed her at that moment, however, his attention was on the fox. "I have to inquire why exactly you're here…_Jenny_."

The she-wolf gulped as the older wolf took her by the crook of her arm and led her away from the party. There was really only one person she was terrified of in her entire life and that was her older brother. Samuel Alexander Sheppard was bad news and most of her misery as a child was thanks to him. The fact that he had managed to recognize her as easily as he had now had the eighteen year old completely terrified as he dragged her along, a deep frown twitching at his lips. Growing tired of him dragging her around she tried pulling her arm from him only to yelp as he jerked her roughly, swinging her into a wall and pinning her there.

"Sam…"

"What are you doing here _Jenny_?" She cringed at the pet name, but said nothing as her breath caught in her throat. "Well? I'm waiting."

Sam was an imposing figure when he wanted to be, which is what made him so good in interrogation. He loved watching people squirm as they tried to work their way out of a situation and Jenna was convinced that he got off on doing it to her. Sam was a black wolf, like her father, with deep blue eyes that made him absolutely terrifying and was built very well with a board chest and shoulders and strong legs. "No answer, I figured as much." He growled before grabbing the scruff of her neck and pushing her forward. Had he not been holding the loose fur at the back of her head she would have stumbled. Grunting she tried as hard as she could to release his hold to no avail. The only thing she could do as she was pulled away from the palace was hope that Sly would realize she was missing and try to find her.

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"C'mon Jen where are you?" Sly frowned as he was perched on a stray tower with his binocucom to his eyes in search of the wolf. As soon as he had won Carmelita over he had turned to see that she was gone, Neyla had seen his distress and had mentioned that an Inspector Sheppard had led her away. He had been looking for her the last ten minutes when his ear piece beeped loudly in his ear. "What do you got for me Bentley?"

"_**I ran my RC Chopper to scan over the area and she's being dragged to the guest houses by a wolf…the same one from the pictures!**_" Sly cursed to himself. "_**But that's not all…turns out that's Jenna's older brother…rather, the guy who she grew up with as her older brother. Anyway, his name is Samuel Alexander Sheppard. He's a well known interrogator for Interpol – he has a perfect track record in admissions to crimes! This guy is a beast!**_"

"Well if this guy is anything like Jenna's hinted at, he's not something to play around with." Sly frowned before nodding. "I'm moving in, thanks pal."

"_**No problem, just be careful, this guy is no joke Sly!**_"

"Why?"

"_**Samuel Sheppard stands nearly at six foot and weighs one hundred and seventy-five pounds…that's significantly larger than your 5'8" at one hundred and twenty eight pounds…when wet.**_"

"Thanks for the confidence boost there Bentley." Sly sighed. He had to admit the difference was significant and he could only imagine what he could do to Jenna who stood at barely five foot and two inches and one hundred and ten pounds – he doubted she was even that much sopping wet, but he digressed. Bentley's nasally tone came through his ear piece once more with a heavy sigh.

"_**Look Sly, as you know, I'm not a raving fan of Jenna by any means, but I don't want to see her get hurt no matter how suspicious I am. No one deserves to get batted around like a tennis ball…okay maybe the bad guys who deserve it, yes, but she's not **_**THAT**_** bad.**_"

"Good to know we're on the same page…you're a good man Bentley."

"_**I try, now get going before something actually does happen…if my assumptions are correct (which they normally are), I assume that Jenna has been subject to abuse and if this guy is somewhat responsible, well, let's not go that far into it.**_"

"Thanks pal."

"_**No problem partner.**_"

Sly jumped from his perch and made his way to the main bridge that led to the guest houses before frowning as he caught the heated argument between the two wolves. He watched from the tunnel, not one to jump into a situation without thinking first, as Jenna glared at the older wolf though her stance said that she was nervous, despite the look on her face.

"I want to know what you're doin' here!"

"It's none of your business what I'm doing Sam." Jenna snapped. "You dipped out on taking care of me years ago, why, all of a sudden, do you want to know where I am and what I'm doing!"

Sly's fur bristled when the wolf grabbed the younger canine by the back of her head and Jenna's hands were immediately grabbing at his to release her. "You don't talk to me like you're suddenly entitled!"

"Sam let go!"

"I think you heard the lady."

Jenna's eyes turned to Sly and she winced as her brother's hold tightened on the back of her head. She would have been more apt to fight had she not been wearing a dress, but given that she was rather limited – especially now – she really had no other choice but to become submissive. Her brother then glared at her so hatefully that it made the fur on the back of her neck stand on end.

"I'd mind your own business _pal_." Sly didn't need to say anything as his molten optics narrowed dangerously, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. If he had to fight, he was more than ready, but first he needed to figure out how to get around Jenna. The she-wolf grunted as her brother jerked the back of her head once more as he returned his attention to her and though his tone deepened in intensity and had been lowered considerably, Sly was able to hear every word he was saying. "So, this is why you're out here! For a _guy_! You're a stupid _bitch_, out of all the things I've known you to be a _slut_ wasn't one of 'em." He then released the scruff of her neck with a hard jerk that left the she-wolf's head reeling slightly. She quickly caught her bearings to see that her brother was now advancing on the raccoon. "So…you're the son-of-a-bitch that's dating my sister huh? She tell you about me?"

Just as Sly was about to open his mouth and move into his accustomed fighting stance, Jenna was in front of him with her arms behind her to push him back. "Sam _back off_!"

"Or what _Jenny_?" The raccoon noticed the twitch in her back as she lowered her stance slightly. "You're gonna pick a fight with me here?"

"Don't you have a cover to protect?" The she-wolf challenged. "Now instead of picking a fight with me I think you have an operation to head back in the ballroom do you not?"

Sam looked absolutely infuriated before stepping up to her so that he towered over her and she stepped up to meet him with surprising bravery, her eyes narrowed. "It'd be in your best interest to stay out of my way Jenny…you're lucky I'm in law enforcement."

"No luckier than you." Sly watched as her brother's hand twitched in movement to hit her before he lowered it and stalked around them and back over the bridge. When he was out of sight Jenna released a heavy sigh, the tension in her body easing simultaneously as she leaned back into the railing as the raccoon moved away from her. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She took his silence as a bad thing and she frowned, rubbing the back of her head before standing up and beginning to walk away. She jumped as a hand stopped her and she looked up to see the most serious expression she had ever seen on the raccoon's face since she'd met him. "Sly?" She watched as the raccoon turned her to him before touching the back of her head gently.

"Are you okay?"

To say that she was surprised was an understatement. "!"

"Are you okay?" He frowned as she seemed shocked he would ask, but despite her seeming surprise she nodded slowly and he sighed. "This isn't the first time that this has happened has it?"

"Canine's weakness…" She muttered as she pinched her brow before looking away. "You control our head, you control our movement. It's something our mothers do when we're pups in order to keep us in check…as we get older we maintain a small amount of scruff at the back of our necks…that and the dominant versus submissive complexes that we carry. Out of the two of us, Sam's the alpha." She explained softly. There was a lapse of silence between her and the raccoon and he watched her carefully before extending his hand towards her.

"Walk with me?" Jenna stared at him incredulously, taking his hand and allowing him to tuck it through his arm. For a few moments it was silent before Sly sighed, clearing his throat. "Jenna, I don't want to sound straightforward with this, but I've noticed that every time you talk about your family you either twitch or touch a certain part of your body…what did they _do_ to you?" He watched her carefully as she absorbed the question before sighing deeply and closing her eyes as she untucked her hand from his arm and instead crossing her arms over her chest almost as if she was hugging herself.

"Discipline was my father's middle name…" She began softly. "He believed that a few smacks off the top of the head would knock sense into anyone, but it was mostly my brother. I don't remember a time he was ever exactly the upstanding family member that took care of me. If we weren't fighting physically I was ignored or was shot some snide comment. I began to rebel and our fights got worse." She suddenly frowned and Sly noticed a hardened look overcome her features. "Fighting has always been in my blood and after my brother brought me up on charges, my father decided it was best to channel my aggression through Martial Arts, but being the instructor's daughter wasn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world." She ignored Sly as she continued, though she could feel the tension beginning to form. "It only got worse after my mother disappeared…the constant verbal battery was only the beginning…we fought about the stupidest things; how I was dressing, who my friends were and how I looked in general." She shivered lightly as the cool air hit her bare shoulders and she jumped as she felt something wrap around them, her eyes turning to Sly to see that he was now without the jacket to his tux, Jenna having moved further away from him in her discomfort of the subject.

He offered her a weak smile of comfort before sighing softly, motioning to the side. It was obvious he wanted to discuss the matter further and without the opinions of Bentley and Murray and she was grateful for it as she was already uncomfortable speaking about it in the first place. "What do you mean…how you looked?"

"I've always been…_small_ for my breed," She frowned, brushing a stray hair away from her face and sighing deeply. "In both height and weight and my brother enjoyed pointing it out whenever he got the chance. His main focus came about mostly when I started dating and he thought I was…_open_ for lack of better terms." Sly had taken notice that she was angry about it and it struck a cord within him as well and he had to stuff his hands into his pockets to keep his anger in check, it wasn't often that he got angry about something, but this was just plain cruel. "He started accusing me and at one point he and my father ganged up on me about it and decided the best way to deal with it was locking me in my room for days on end after stripping it of everything but my bed and dresser, needless to say, I got really good about picking a lock with nothing but a safety pin." She chuckled mirthlessly, running her fingers over the shell of her left ear where a large gap could be seen and she sighed.

"Did he do that to your ear?" When Jenna nodded he had to hold down a growl.

"For my sixteenth birthday I got it pierced and during one of our fights he ripped it out because he didn't like it…it was the same night he brought me up on domestic charges."

"And your father didn't do anything about this?"

Jenna shook her head, "He never knew." Receiving a look of confusion from the raccoon she clarified, "One thing we did an awfully good job about was keeping our scuffles to ourselves as it's natural for wolves to fight with one another for dominance, however, when he brought me up on charges he had them brushed under the table…I think he was in denial about any of it actually happening and with his favorite child no less. My father blamed it on my mother leaving us, but my brother just did it out of maliciousness…he always had been more aggressive than necessary." She rolled her eyes as she said this and sighed.

The two lapsed into another silence before Sly gathered his thoughts enough to ask his next question. The raccoon didn't like to be so forward with a situation that was as delicate as this one, but his curiosity was now peeked and he needed to satisfy those inquiries so he could gauge how he needed to act with her. It was clear to him that Jenna was not as strong as she appeared, though she managed to keep herself in check. He vaguely remembered one of the children from the orphanage that had been brought in battered and bruised after being taken away from an abusive family and Sly couldn't fathom how someone could do something so cruel to their own children. Finally he settled on a question.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

The she-wolf frowned deeply in confusion, "Tell you about what?"

"That you knew him and how dangerous he was." Sly answered with a deepening scowl, "We could've helped you know." Jenna was silent for a few moments before bowing her head slightly.

"I didn't think that was an option…it's bad enough you guys are still skeptical of me," She looked up so she made eye contact with the raccoon to express her seriousness. "If I told you I was related to him it would have only made things worse."

After a few moments of silence Sly frowned. He knew the wolf was right – it certainly wouldn't have helped her situation any more than they already knew about her and he could understand her reasoning, but he couldn't understand why she wouldn't trust them with the knowledge of how dangerous he was. Finally the raccoon looked firmly at her with a steeled will. "Jenna," She raised her eyes to meet the molten optics that belonged to Sly, "There's nothing wrong with you…don't believe what they say for a single _second_ because it's not true. You don't ever have to worry about them again if you don't want to. You're a different person, you're not related to them and you're not any of those things…they don't deserve you."

Jenna was absolutely speechless as his words hit her like an anvil. The seriousness of his tone only strengthened the sincerity behind his words and she felt an overwhelming relief wash over her. The only person she had ever told about this was her best friend, Stevie, who had been her next door neighbor since she moved to Bridgewater. Without a word she stood and embraced the raccoon tightly, resting her head against his chest and taking in his scent, a deep pine with a hint of soft musk that was natural to him and comforting to her. Jenna had never been openly affectionate to anyone, especially a guy, but at that moment she felt compelled to show _something_ other than her normal cool exterior.

Sly held her for a few moments, never one to turn down affection, but for a moment he had seen something in Jenna that he hadn't noticed before and that was fear. She was scared to admit what had happened to her and even more fearful to explain it, he was able to tell just by the way she avoided his eyes while speaking. He had noticed that she had pretended like he wasn't there and it concerned him; despite only knowing her for a few weeks he felt connected to her – how he wasn't sure, but he was most certainly connected to her. He found her to be refreshing as she had become a quick friend to him, offering advice and not judging him and he felt she deserved the same. However, the issue of her brother now on their tail was concerning and he knew that it wouldn't be the last time that they would run into him. He was brought back to reality when Jenna unraveled her arms from around his waist and he offered the younger female a smile.

"Thanks Sly."

"It appears as if I'm actually going to need that recorder…" He smiled as Jenna laughed, wiping her eyes and nodding. She was thankful for the change in subject as she was never one to talk openly about herself or the rocky relationship she had with her older brother. Shaking this thought she managed a watery smile.

"It appears so." Sly offered his arm once more and Jenna took it, allowing the raccoon to lead her back towards the safe house. "By the way, was that _jealousy_ I was sensing from you back in the ballroom?" He chuckled as the wolf's face contorted into one of disdain at the mention, her brow twitching ever so slightly. _Cute_.

"Freaking Harlot," The wolf grumbled, "She obviously saw that you had a _wedding band_ on your _left hand_…I swear Sly that just spells "bad news" out in bold, italicized and underlined letters…in caps!" Sly laughed at her obvious vexation and smirked at her widely.

"So you were jealous."

"Jealous! Of _her_!" Jenna cried as she looked up at him incredulously, "That's probably the furthest thing from the truth! I mean, think about it, she got all fired up because she watched you _dance_…that shit's just creepy…and weird…and just…_creepy_!" She quirked a brow when he began laughing harder. "What it's true! She's gotta be like, what, five years older than you! That's just weird…"

"And how old do you think I am?" Sly quirked a brow with a…sly…grin, a mischievous glimmer entering his eye that made the wolf consider the statement carefully.

"I don't know, nor is it important." She remarked quickly as she returned her eyes back to the path before them. "I swear, her breed is all messed up. She shoulda been a cougar."

Sly shook his head with a smirk twitching his lips. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Good, it keeps things interesting."

He quirked a brow at her before nudging her lightly, "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Sly…shut up."

The raccoon only laughed loudly in response, the wolf shaking her head at his sudden playfulness and sighing. It was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

(Dodges aforementioned, virtual inanimate objects) I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Lol. Sam's certainly a charmer isn't he (please take note of my sarcasm here). There's a very large back story here about Sam that you'll eventually find out as the story goes on...I'll leave it at that lol.

Anyway, as always, reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update. I'll try and have chapter 8 out soon :)

Much Love,  
timexgone23


	8. No One Deserves No One

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Part two of my favorite arc :) I like to think of this chapter as both fun and dramatic all at the same time lol. Anyway, just a quick update – I will be going on vacation for a little while and I'm really not sure when I'll have time to sit down and finish editing chapter nine, with that said I hope that this satisfies you all for the time being :) Also I just want to throw out there that I don't really sit down and read fan-fictions because I really don't have a lot of time. If you review any of my stories I follow your link and I'll sift through your works (I don't want to say troll because that's not what it is I think lol). Keep in mind that I wrote this fan-fiction a LONG time ago and am just editing it because I'm tired of having it sit on my desktop. I had originally gotten as far as chapter 9 and stopped writing in substitution for my Beyblade series (of which is no longer here on because of my displeasure with it). Now, with that said, I want everyone to know that whatever is in this story has come from my own head and is not the work of anyone else. Haha, anyway, now that that is out of the way on with the chapter!

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 6**: _BananaB0mb, Deags, ForeverFreelancer, boona, Why Fireflies Flash, __Carmen_ Veiga and _Guest_:

_Carmen Veiga: _Haha yes they most certainly did :) I wanted to make this a fun chapter, but at the same time a little dramatic and angsty :P And that's a really good reaction to Sam lol, like the Klaww Gang, he will be my own evil character in this story so I totally agree with you for hating him a bit lol. And don't worry, there's a really touching Bentley and Jenna moment ;) Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_boona: _Thank you! Any author worries about the cannons and to know that I have them in character is reassuring lol. Anyway, that's a very nice word for Sam haha, the whole purpose is that he's the esteemed bully – I had to do quite a bit of research into how wolves act around one another and where Jenna is rather stubborn, that fades around Sam because of the whole "dominance" thing that that particular animal has going on :P Anyway, thanks so much for your review, as always lol, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Deags: _Oh no! That's not my intention at all lol. I just take an idea and run with it…originally this next chapter as supposed to be added to that one…haha never mind that (grins cheekily). Thank you so much, I'm sure I've mentioned this to you in previous responses that that definitely means a lot to me! An author's worst nightmare is falling short of the original production of either a game, movie, anime, cartoon, etc. but being made aware of that is definitely a huge weight off of my shoulders that's for sure :) Oh and don't worry! Life gets in the way all the time (shakes head) it's done the same to me and I can't put blame on you whatsoever for no review lol. You've most certainly redeemed yourself good sir :D And hey, action packed stories aren't at all bad! I get a lot of the "romance" from watching a lot of movies and my own experience – I'm a very emotional person lol xD And aw! When ya put it that way it makes me feel all bad and stuff haha, I'm only kidding, but thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy the end of the second arc ;)

_BananaB0mb: _Oh yeah…_ton of fun_ is absolutely accurate (shakes head), he's definitely an evil character I've been developing for quite some time…I just needed the right story to throw him into lol xD Haha, because Jenna is a canine she has an attention complex…so to speak. I've been trying to develop that side of her, but she does tend to get jealous easily – only to match Carmelita's canine side as well. Sucker Punch did an amazing job of depicting that in her and I'm trying to do the same with Jenna lol! Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Why Fireflies Flash: _I definitely know the feeling and I'm sorry I do that to you haha :O And those are my favorite parts of the game as well. I actually can't wait to write that arc! It's gonna be so much fun (rubs hands together fiendishly lmfao). Anyway, there's a rather touching moment at the end of this chapter between Bentley and Jenna that I'm sure you'll enjoy ;) Yes your sarcasm has been picked up on lol xD And yes, he most certainly will…and I don't like him either…he's actually an encompassment of everything I don't like, as a matter of fact, lol. But yes, she was abused sadly, and her father wasn't as abusive as her brother…her father just had unnaturally high expectations and because of his time in the military he's a bit…over the top, so to speak (I get this from my uncle who retired from the Marines a few years ago and my cousin hates it so he and my aunt are making him see a psychologist :P). And yay! LOL, I love Carmelita too lol, she's very much a perfect pair for Sly, but I enjoy that rifting tension that having an OC interfere with a Cannon/Cannon relationship…if you couldn't tell from my other stories LOL! Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you, as always, for your review!

_ForeverFreelancer: _I really enjoyed reading your review :) Thank you so much, it really does take a while to figure out how to do it, but having it pointed out to me definitely makes me feel accomplished. And you're right – expanding on character relationships are extremely important as well as character depth…if the character starts out perfect there's no way for that character to grow along a story line and it takes away from the story a bit, in my opinion anyway. And oh my goodness, I have to study those youtube videos (shakes head), in order to get the dialogue I watch the game plays and type the dialogue by ear in another word document and then save the entire arc's dialogue for later use. I normally have to set aside an entire day to do it (sighs), but it's totally worth it in the end lol :D And hey, no problem! No matter how long or short a review I read it all and answer back in just as much care as it was taken to write :D Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Guest_: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you love the story :D I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, thanks for taking the time to review :)

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
08_

Jenna munched quietly on the fruit Sly had managed to grab off of a cart while on his way back from lowering the drawbridge and she sighed, picking at the pieces of watermelon, an unsettling feeling beginning to surface in her gut and leaving her feeling anxious. For a lack of anything else to wear she was donned in her three quarter sleeved top and black harem pants, finding the fitted pants were uncomfortable for the time being, her stealth boots light on her feet. Bentley was typing on his computer with a frown, Murray having gone out to take care of the chopper that had nearly singed the raccoon to a crisp when had had been perched on a taller tower while pick pocketing the guards for the winch keys.

"_**The**_ _**turret won't start Bentley**_!" The hippo stated through his communicator and Jenna perked up, standing from the table and ignoring the grunt from the raccoon as she moved his feet out of the way so she could get towards the computer to see what the problem was. Bentley looked up at her briefly before frowning.

"Pushing that power switch up should have activated the power source to start the turret."

Sly watched her vaguely from underneath the brim of his hat as Jenna snatched the headpiece from Bentley, fixing the microphone to her mouth and clearing her throat. "Murray, it's Jenna, listen, move your binocucom to the turret. If it's the old mech-tech that I think it is then it should have a flat panel on the back of the turret just underneath the triggers." She watched through the computer as he found the latch she was talking about.

"_**Yeah there's a panel here, but it's bolted in!**_"

"Hang on buddy I'll be there in a second to check it out." She tossed the reptile his headset before grabbing a small tool box off of the table and quickly jogging out of the safe house. Sly and Bentley watched her retreating figure before shrugging to one another, the turtle then fumbling irritably with his headset as Jenna had ruined his alignment. She made quick work of climbing the side of the wall, using the vines as aid to pull herself up before jogging over to where Murray was flagging her down. Frowning, she looked for a way up before smiling as she noticed a small canopy. As she made it to the roof Murray greeted her with a wide smile.

"Thanks Jenna! While I could fix the problem, there's no way I'd be able to get those puny bolts out with my fingers." Jenna only smiled.

"No worries, that's what I'm here for!" Murray laughed as she made her way to the turret, her hazel eyes taking in the back panel before reaching into her small tool pack and pulling out two flat edged screw drivers. The hippo watched in fascination as she unscrewed each bolt before popping the panel off and taking out a small flash light she had in the loop of her pants, her tail curling around her feet and her large friend watching her as she smirked. "Aha…here we are you little bugger." She quickly began fiddling with two wires, her gloved hands working quickly as she repaired the cut lines. "Looks like Rajan went the extra mile to make sure that this turret couldn't be used while the chopper was in use…either that, or it's the reason why he has the chopper. Either way, you're all good to go." She smiled, pulling the trigger on one of the handles and nodding as it went off.

"Thanks Jenna! I owe ya."

"Like I said Murray, no worries! I live for this kinda stuff." She grinned before offering him a two finger solute and making her way back to the safe house. She didn't want to be anywhere near that chopper when it went down. Making her way back to the safe house, the wolf sighed. She had been in an odd mood ever since the run-in with her brother and she wanted nothing more than to disappear at the look Bentley had shot her as she reentered the small house. To say she had been absolutely embarrassed was a too moot a word to describe how she actually felt and she immediately kept to herself after changing.

The safe house was silent as she reentered, the two thieves watching as Murray took out the chopper as it would make the rest of their jobs extremely easy. When the chopper went down Bentley immediately turned to Jenna and Sly. "Okay you two, time to head out to our jobs. Jenna, how good are you on a computer?"

"I'm decent…depends on what you need me to do."

"We're gonna have to hack into Rajan's database in order to gain access to the winch and as much as I'd love to do it on my own, it would be easier and a lot faster if two of us were working the computers."

"You show me how to do it and I'd be more than happy to help." Bentley nodded before looking to Sly.

"After you're done with the elephants meet us at the boardroom...I'll give you details after I take out that van."

Jenna and Sly nodded before jogging out of the safe house, Sly taking the route across the conical rocks as he normally did leaving Jenna and Bentley to race across the bridge. Instead of following Bentley she moved off to the other side, making her way to the palace and frowning. "Now how the hell am I supposed to get in?" Scratching the side of her head she sighed, climbing a tree to keep out of sight of the guards as she searched for an opening. A few moments later she heard the angry sounds of a gunfight soon followed by elephant cries and the guards that stood around the bonfire jumped, running to see what the disturbance was. Taking her opportunity, she dropped from the tree she was perched in and looked around the area. "If I was a secret entrance where would I be?" She frowned as she passed some underbrush before doubling back. "Ah-ha…there you are you little bugger." She grinned. "I'd be where there's a broken bridge and an open drainpipe!"

It didn't take long for Jenna to make her way through the drainpipe before she found herself in the guards' break room, up to her knees in warm water as she wound up in their hot tub. She waved some steam away from her face before looking around, stepping further into the pool before pressing in on the earpiece in her ear, "Okay Bentley, I'm in, what's next?"

"_**Murray's rotund features prevent him from fitting through the drain pipe and Sly had to get the jewels off of Rajan's prized elephants, so we'll need you to unlock the vault room from the inside. I've heard through a reliable source that the guards keep the vault combination written beneath one of their break tables**_."

"So you want me to crawl under each table until I find it…doesn't that seem a little _too_ easy?"

"_**That's the idea…**_"

"Alright, if you say so," Jenna shrugged, her hand dropping to her side before she took the time to look around. She noticed a few guards walking around and she frowned softly. "Okay…how am I supposed to take them out?" Taking another glance around the room she noticed a small tool box lying to the side of the pool and she glanced back at the guard to notice that he was making his way for the pool. "Shit!"

She quickly laid down in the water, pushing herself against the wall that faced the drain pipe so that the light from his flashlight would pass over her and she held her breath as the light hovered over her, dipping herself lower into the warm water as his light moved before everything returned to being dark. Releasing the breath she hadn't realized she was holding she stood, reaching into the toolbox and grabbing wrench. She took aim with her wrench and let it fly, hitting the guard square in the back of the head and watching as he fell to the side. Running over to him she checked his pulse and sighed in relief; she only knocked him out. She then looked to the table and squatted, peering underneath the wood in search for any numbers engraved into the wood.

"I don't see any code here Bentley…"

"_**Try another table, it's gotta be here somewhere**_."

Jenna sighed, repeating the process with the next guard and searching his and pockets to find a gold pen. She grinned to herself, tucking it into an empty pouch on her belt along with the coins she had stolen. She jumped as a voice came over the intercom and she sighed as she recognized it to be Rajan.

"_Attention boardroom guards! Allow no guest entry into the inner workings of the palace. This party is supposed to be legitimate and I don't want my flawless reputation to be spoiled by some flunky who doesn't know how to lock a door! The spice trade eased into this world, particularly from those who angered me..._"

Shuddering she returned her attention to the task at hand. "Okay so if I was a code where would I be?" She grumbled as she checked under another table. "No code here…" She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. She tensed when a sharp object was placed at the center of her back and she heard a laugh from behind her.

"Hands up, _darling_…"She did as the guard asked and placed her hands up where he could see them, a scowl twitching at her lips. As she glanced over her shoulder she noticed that it was a goat standing behind her holding a dagger to her back and she sighed deeply. A knife wasn't an issue, but taking this guy out was. As Sly had so polietely pointed out back in Paris, she wasn't built for strength and she knew that she couldn't wrestle this guy to the ground for his knives. She moved backwards so that his blade was directly in her back, this way she knew where it was exactly and smirked.

"Sorry...I never did like pet names." She moved her body to the side before catching the guard with a backfist to the side of his jaw and forcing him to drop his knife, however, she miscalculated him having another knife and he swung his other hand, catching her in the side of the face and she cursed before kicking him forward and grabbing a chair, swining it over his head as hard as she could and sighing as he fell limp. "And stay down." She panted, wiping her cheek that was now dripping blood. "Damnit." She decided then that finding the passcode was her best bet and she quickly checked the last two tables, finding the code underneath the last table. "Got it!"

"_**Fantastic! Now, type the code into the vault's laser door entrance.**_"

"Sure just give me a few minutes." Jenna sighed, wiping her cheek again before moving back to the door that she had passed earlier before and entering the code that had been under the table. Maneuvering the laser system wasn't difficult and she found the switch that was going to open the doors upstairs. "Okay, you guys should be able to get in now."

"_Great job Jenna_." She sighed as Sly's voice cut through the communicator in her ear, having replaced the one she had bugged Neyla with. "_Come over to the side and I'll help you up._"

"Okay," She sighed, exiting the small room and looking up to where Sly was looking down at her.

"Hey there princess," He grinned smoothly, his elbow resting on his raised knee, his cane slung over his shoulder casually. "Need a lift?"

"Yeah…how do you propose we do this?"

"Can you reach my cane?" Jenna looked at the distance between the ground and the raccoon's cane before glancing around her.

"I should be able to, be ready to pull me up." She backed up before running forward, using the railing and her powerful hind legs to propel her upwards before grabbing a hold of the cane's hook and grunting as her body hit against the wall with her momentum. Instead of playing deadweight, she got her feet underneath her and walked up the side of the wall as Sly pulled her up with his cane. Grabbing a hold of her hand he helped her over the railing before chuckling.

"Good job." Jenna nodded and leaned over to catch her breath. As she stood she looked at the other two members of the Cooper gang and scratched her head.

"Thanks for breaking us in pal, _The Murray_ approves!"

Jenna only laughed, her wet tresses still dripping water into her face. "Thanks Murray."

"Let's get down to brass tacks. Jenna and I need to hack both vault room computers to get control of the electronic winch above the ballroom." Bentley stated, his mind obviously focused on the task at hand, Murray and Jenna sharing an amused look as the turtle was obviously speaking to them. Sly chuckled, shaking his head and Murray slowly raised his hand, scratching the back of his head.

"So what're me and Sly here for?"

"The second we enter their servers they'll be on to us." Bentley explained, "You guys need to work together to keep the thugs off of our backs."

Sly crossed his arms over his chest, a wide grin spreading across his lips as he looked to his larger friend. "You and me, pal – side by side."

"_The Murray_ knows no fear!"

Jenna chuckled as she made her way over to the other computer, waiting for Bentley's signal. She would be working on levels 1, 3 and 5, while Bentley would be working on 2, 4 and 6 – the two needing to work backwards to forwards in order. She vaguely heard Murray and Sly talking to one another about the defense plan before Bentley looked at her. "You ready Jenna?"

"Whenever you are…just let me know when you're ready for me to access the next level."

"Sure thing."

She and Bentley were going to be entering the database at the same time, but the two needed to work in perfect timing in order to break each firewall. At first Jenna had been skeptical about how she was going to be working alongside Bentley given their differences, but knew that they had to work as a team in order to complete this task as there was no other way. Frowning in concentration, she looked at the turtle out of the corner of her eye and nodded.

"Alright, we're in! Hacking the level six barrier," He announced to Sly and Murray as his fingers began to fly. In order for her to begin her hacking, Bentley needed to open the gate from level six to level five. She had to hand it to the old tiger, using two computers for different levels was smart if you were dealing with only one hacker. Bentley had spent a good day during their stay in Monaco to teach her how to hack when he figured out that she had broken into his computer – later informing her that he had changed his password and so now was her time to prove to the reptile that she had actually been listening. "Almost there…okay got it! Jenna start on level five!"

"Rodger that." She called over her shoulder as she began typing, the sounds of fighting behind her alerting her that the guards were now onto them as Sly and Murray began to take care of them. As her fingers flew over the keyboard she grunted, the data streaming up the screen just as fast as she was typing. She heard a guard closing in on her and nearly jumped when Murray threw him over the rail from behind her. "Okay…I'm close…alright, got it! Changing you over for level four access!"

"Okay!" Jenna's brow pinched as the firewall began to kick back at them and her fingers began to move faster as Bentley continued to hack as fast as he could. "Almost got it…go Jenna!"

"Alright level three access," She frowned, biting her lip. "So close!" She grunted, crying out as a spear hit her across her arm as a monkey threw it.

"Sorry Jenna!" She heard Murray call to her before the guard went hurtling into another one. Jenna immediately returned her focus to the computer and she cried as she got it.

"YES! Bentley you're open for level two access!" The turtle immediately began hacking, Sly batting another goat away from Bentley as it got too close. Jenna swatted a monkey's staff away before taking it and throwing it at his head, knocking him unconscious and earning a chuckle from the raccoon as he threw another monkey into the pile.

"Almost, almost have it…Jenna go! We're going for level one access guys!"

"Yeah well hurry it up! These guards are coming in quicker than Murray and I can take 'em."

"Got it guys just hang in there." Jenna encouraged as she continued to type. Bentley had come to stand next to her to provide some support if any guards came through Sly and Murray and she caught the side of her lip between her teeth as the firewall became almost violent. "C'mon, c'mon…"

"Oh geez this is tense!" Bentley frowned as he shot another guard from sneaking behind Sly. "I can almost taste it!"

"Yeah tell me about it…" She growled lowly as her brow pinched, her jaw clenching in focus as she continued to hack the last wall. "And…got it!"

"Jenna!"

She turned just in time to dodge a goat with two knives, only to get another cut in the process this one stretching along the side of her neck to her shoulder. "Damn!" She cursed as she helped the guard over the rail before sighing. "That's the third time these guys have managed to hit me all in one mission!"

"We have supplies back in the safe house little buddy." Murray nodded with a grin and earning a small one from Jenna.

"WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE! Jenna you did great."

"Thanks Bentley."

"We've now got control of the winch, thanks for the back up guys."

"No problem," Sly smiled as he walked over to Jenna who was still wiping at the cut she had received earlier, "me and the big guy had it covered."

"Murray, let's hook up the direct feed and get out of here while the coast is still clear."

"You got it chum!" The hippo nodded before turning back to Jenna and Sly with a puzzled look on his face earning a smile from the raccoon.

"We'll meet you and Bentley back at the safe house pal…Bentley may need some cover."

"_The Murray_ shall thwart whatever evil shall threaten our turtle-friend!"

Jenna quirked a brow as Sly laughed, the hippo offering them a solute before following after Bentley. Sly then turned to the she-wolf, a light scowl touching his lips as he observed the cuts she had taken while hacking. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, they're not deep, just rather annoying." She smirked. "Why are you _worried_ about me?"

"More guilty than anything," Jenna quirked a brow in response as she broke the spear head off of one of the guard's staffs and twirling it casually.

"Why?" She frowned, "There's nothing to be guilty about."

"We were supposed to cover you and Bentley…"

"Sly, trust me, I'm not mad at you or Murray." She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm grateful you were even here…had you not been Bentley and I would've been sitting ducks." She frowned deeply when the raccoon shrugged before sighing and turning his face so she had his undivided attention. "Look Sly, I'm not a little girl. I can take a hit just as well as I can deal them out – you and Murray did fine. Just be happy that all I have is a few cuts and nothing more…I'm positive you wouldn't have wanted a Jenna and Bentley crisp or shish kabob…or diced turtle and wolf meat – as you know we wolves are rather tough and turtles…well I can't exactly say..." She smiled as it earned a chuckle from him, the raccoon removing her hand and sighing deeply.

"Alright, you win."

"Don't I always?"

"Cocky?" Jenna only laughed, a mischievous glint lighting her eyes.

"Race you back to the safe house to prove my point?"

"You're on!"

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"You ready Murray?"

The hippo settled onto the rope that Jenna had just tied around his waist and nodded, accepting the saw Bentley had made from the wolf with a grin, "Born ready."

"Okay, just make sure you don't move around too much on that rope okay? We don't want you drawing any attention to yourself." She smiled, "Sly and I will do our best to keep the guests busy."

"No worries little buddy, _The Murray _is ready for anything!"

"I'm sure you are," She chuckled before looking up at the clock and frowning slightly. "Okay, I need to get down into the ballroom so that it doesn't look suspicious that I'm not with Sly."

"Good luck!"

"You too," She smiled before making her way down a hidden staircase she and Murray had found when trying to get up into the winch room. Jenna had been tense ever since she had made it to the palace, the knowledge of her brother being among the guests keeping her anxiety high. Wringing her hands together and taking a deep breath, Jenna made her way into the ballroom and looked around. Sly was positioned just a few steps away from the door she had just exited from and with a tentative smile she took the arm offered to her and allowed the raccoon to lead her away from the evidence…so to speak.

"He ready up there?"

"Yeah," She nodded with a soft smile. "He's all set to go…have you heard anything from Bentley?"

"Not yet," Sly shook his head. The two of them then made their way towards the center ballroom. The raccoon watched her closely as she surveyed the room, her eyes appearing slightly panicked and he could understand why. After the last time the two of them had been in the ballroom, Jenna's brother had seemingly come out of nowhere and swept her away…the experience was one Sly would rather not have to relive once again and noticing her discomfort he tugged her closer to his side to remind her that he was there. "You okay Jen?"

"I'll live I suppose." She murmured quietly as she fingered the chain around her neck. As soon as the two of them had gotten back to the safe house after their brawl in the boardroom the wolf had made fast work in securing the pocket watch around her neck and had yet to take it off. The raccoon frowned deeply at her pessimism, however, he couldn't exactly find the words necessary to ease her thoughts – his own thoughts were running a mile a minute. The two approached the ancestral statue when Bentley finally radioed in.

"_Okay Sly, the bridge is down! I'll warm up the van and get ready with the RC Chopper...good luck_."

The raccoon nodded to his partner who understood, the raccoon then changing the channel on his ear piece to the frequency that Murray was on, "Murray you in position?"

"_**Check!**_"

Jenna nodded to herself as Murray's voice sounded through her own ear piece, her eyes sweeping over the ballroom before returning to Sly. "It looks like Bentley's little distraction did the trick. Initiate phase two - I'll take care of Carmelita and the crowd, you handle the heavy lifting." He replied before nodding to Jenna as he led the wolf off to the side. "Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be Sly," The wolf smiled tentatively, already adopting her persona as she noticed Carmelita watching them from the other side of the dance floor. "Look, I can't get any more uncomfortable than I am now. Go dance with Carmelita and let's get out of here…the sooner the better in my opinion." She smiled, though her tone was serious and completely professional. "I'll handle Rajan. My brother won't bother me while I'm with him in fear of blowing his cover – while I have the cat's undivided attention you'll be able to distract the inspector, Murray will cut off the wings and we'll get out of here."

"You sound a lot more confident that you look…" The raccoon chuckled, "I'll be a few feet from you the entire time if you need anything." Jenna nodded slowly before pushing him lightly towards the dance floor where Carmelita was waiting expectantly. Pushing his previous conversation from his mind he offered the vixen a beguiling smile, "Miss Fox, I believe you owe me a dance."

"About time," She answered, "I thought you'd left."

Sly only smirked, offering her his hand, "Just waiting for the opportune moment."

Jenna rolled her eyes, having heard the conversation via her ear piece and smiled innocently as she made her way towards the rather annoyed-looking tiger. _Bentley's demolition certainly did the trick, the cat's seething!_ She thought to herself as she stopped next to his throne. "Lord Rajan."

"Ah, Mrs. Harris," He growled with a smile (_that doesn't make me feel any better about this! _Jenna thought sadly with a small internal sigh), "A pleasure to see you once more."

"Certainly the pleasure is all mine," She smiled. "I hope I am not troubling you…I could always come back?"

"No!" Jenna nearly jumped out of her skin at his sudden anger and gulped as she watched the tiger clear his throat before continuing with a much calmer demeanor, "That isn't necessary Mrs. Harris…"

"Alexis." She corrected in hopes it would loosen him up. "And my Lord, I believe you had asked me to dance earlier?" She smirked as the tiger nodded with a large smile twitching at his lips and expressing the sharpness of his teeth.

Cue mental image of being ripped to shreds.

_I really need to stop with the images…no wonder I'm a paranoid mess!_ The wolf smiled despite her internal conflict and took his hand as he led her out onto the floor where Carmelita and Sly were dancing not too far away. The raccoon subtly nodded to her in comfort over the vixen's shoulder and she offered him a tentative one in return. She was surprised that, despite the large difference in height, that Rajan was as fluid as he was as he led her through each shuffle, spin and step of the tango number that was being played. Jenna had the vague thought that the number was Carmelita's doing as the fox was clearly attempting to "one-up" her partner. For a fleeting moment of thought Jenna actually felt bad for the tigress.

"_You look familiar to me, are you in law enforcement?_" Jenna heard Carmelita ask the raccoon through his earpiece and she rolled her eyes as he chuckled in response.

"_I often deal with police while on the job_."

_Understatement of the century_…Jenna snorted to herself, smiling when Rajan looked down at her.

"So how are you and your husband doing?"

"We're doing well," Jenna smiled despite the implication of the tiger's statement. "Connor really is a great guy."

"Oh," The large tiger growled softly, "You two didn't seem to be getting along earlier."

Jenna sighed mentally, though outwardly she offered him a smile. "A small disagreement, but nothing serious I assure you." She shot the smirking raccoon a dark look from across the room, to which he leaned closer to Carmelita and stuck his tongue out at her and earning a small smile from her. As the music came to a stop, the tiger looked down at her and smiled, bowing deeply.

"You dance most gracefully Mrs. Harris."

"As do you Lord Rajan," She chuckled, curtsying to him and smiling. "Thank you for the lovely dance."

"My pleasure."

"_So tell me stranger_," She heard Carmelita ask shyly, though the tone of her voice made Jenna want to puke her brains out. The mental image is astounding…Bentley would have a field day with that one. "_What's your name?_"

"_Why ruin the moment?_"

"_Whuh? I – I don't understand…_"

Loud gasps were heard throughout the ballroom as the realization of the missing Clockwerk wings became reality. Jenna quickly looked to Sly who motioned her towards the door and the wolf quickly took her opportunity as her dance partner had become completely distracted and slid out of her shoes before quickly making her exit, nodding to Neyla as she did. As she made her way into the hallway the wolf took off at a sprint and she looked behind her to see Sly just a few paces behind her. With a smirk she turned back around and had to force herself into a stop as her brother appeared before her, his lips curled in a snarl.

"I knew you were up to no good!"

Jenna looked to Sly who reached into his pocket and threw a few smoke bombs to the ground and the wolf quickly ran forward only to be slammed into the wall by the older wolf. "Sly go!"

"_**COOPER**_!"

Sly looked to her with a furrowed brow, obviously torn between what to do. Growling she swung around and elbowed her brother in the temple before moving out of his loosened grasp. Sly quickly grabbed a hold of her hand and tugged her forward only for her to stumble as she attempted to get her feet underneath her before running forward now pulling Sly behind her as the two of them raced for the drawbridge. That was going to be their ticket out! The wolf's eyes narrowed in focus as she and Sly dodged guards and despite the pain in her feet she pushed on and kept pace with Sly, though the length of her dress was beginning to get old. As the two neared the drawbridge Jenna allowed a smile to twitch at her lips as the van came in sight – though her smile quickly fell as Sly's steps faded and stopping she turned around to see the raccoon attempting to get out of the hold her brother had put him in.

With a deep growl, Jenna raced backwards – her instincts taking over her more logical mind, ignoring the shouts of Bentley from the back doors of the van and jumping on her brother's back and sinking her teeth into the loose fur at the back of his neck and effectively releasing Sly. Clamping her jaw she braced herself as Sam swung backwards in an attempt to dislodge her from his back and giving the raccoon enough time to escape. She winced as her brother slammed her smaller frame into the wall behind her and she grunted, attempting to get her breath after the third time her brother slammed her, but her teeth remained clamped into his flesh and she was beginning to become dizzy. Finally, Sam seemed to have gained the leverage he needed as he threw himself to the ground and effectively knocking the wind out of the much smaller wolf.

Gasping for breath, the she-wolf coughed before barrel rolling away from her brother as the wolf slammed his hands into the concrete where she had been laying no more than a few moments before. Using the momentum from her roll she stood and quickly danced out of the way as her brother came at her faster than before forcing the younger wolf into a more defensive position as she had to constantly dodge the larger male. Narrowing her eyes she ran to her left, watching as her brother followed her before planting her feet into the wall and flipping over him. She watched as her brother slammed into the wall, reaching his hand out and snapping the chain to her necklace, however, this went unnoticed to the wolf as she made a mad dash for the van, jumping into it as Murray punched the gas. Sly grabbed a hold of her arm and helped her into the van before closing the doors, watching with narrowed eyes as the wolf glared venomously at the retreating van.

The first few moments were silent and tense as the hippo drove them out of the jungle and into a nearby town to ditch the cops that had been pursing them. Jenna leaned into the side of the van and sighed heavily, wincing as her ribs protested the extra movement of her torso. Ignoring the throbbing of her injury she watched as Sly nursed his arm, apparently having hurt it in the few moments it had taken the younger female to stop and realize that he had fallen behind. After what felt like forever, the raccoon spoke if only to give Murray directions.

"Murray, head to Bollywood."

"Sure thing pal!"

After a few moments Bentley turned to the wolf and frowned deeply, "That was awfully close you two, we were on a timetable." Jenna rolled her eyes as her temper flared.

"Bentley, no offense, to hell with your timetable! As airtight a plan that was you didn't take into consideration the multiple undercover _police _officers that were sure to come after us when they realized the wings were missing," She snapped with her eyes narrowed. Murray and Sly looked at each other in surprise as the turtle recoiled visibly from the irritated wolf. "Especially when one of those officers is my brother…" Crossing her arms she shifted so she was comfortable before turning her attention out of the back windows of the van. Jenna was annoyed as her brother had managed to get the upper hand on her once more and even worse he now had her pocket watch. Sighing deeply she rubbed the soreness in her neck from where the larger wolf had snapped the thick chain off of her neck. She ignored as the raccoon and turtle as he inspected the aforementioned raccoon's arm from the injury he had supposedly sustained.

"It only appears to be a sprain, when we get to the hotel just put some ice on it and you should be fine. You're lucky Sly, Detective Sheppard is definitely a powerhouse…" Jenna bristled as she felt the turtle's eyes on her and before she was able to move (not like she could get very far considering: a) she was in a van and b) the pain in her ribs and back was literally incapacitating), Bentley had already meandered towards her and had begun looking at her neck. "Jenna is this all you've gotten?"

"Yeah," she nodded before turning her attention away from the turtle. She didn't want anyone knowing about her ribs as she hoped that she could look into it later. After another twenty minutes Murray announced that they had arrived at the hotel and Bentley turned to both Sly and Jenna.

"Since you two are already in disguise it would be easier if you made the reservations." Sly nodded and shrugged his tux jacket off before handing it to the wolf and offering her a smile.

"It's gotten a little chilly outside." Jenna accepted the jacket and quickly pulled it on, not noticing the calculated look the raccoon shot her in response. The two stepped out of the van and Jenna had to mentally coach herself how to walk and how to stand without giving way to her other injuries – it wasn't like she hadn't done it before, she had on multiple occasions – especially under the critical eye of the thief standing next to her. As Sly spoke to the receptionist Jenna stood, albeit uncomfortably, as she had to continue to coach herself. As soon as she made it to her room she had to check her ribs! "_Alexis_." Jenna's attention was immediately on Sly and she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, lost in thought. What'd you say?"

"I said we're ready to go…" Jenna nodded slowly before following him outside. Sly eyed her carefully before opening the door to the van to see Murray and Bentley waiting for them expectantly. "Alright boys we're checked in for a week. Bentley, do you think that'll be enough time for you to locate Rajan?" The turtle cupped his chin and nodded slowly.

"That should be a sufficient amount of time…that and a little recreation couldn't hurt." Sly nodded with a grin before helping his two teammates haul things out of the van. Jenna took the container handed to her and winced slightly before making her way into the hotel and to their assigned room, her duffle bag slung over her shoulder. The wolf followed the other members of the Cooper gang into their room and placed the containers she was handed on the floor near their closet before nodding to them.

"Alright boys, I'm absolutely exhausted so I'm going to get ready for bed…do you need anything else?" When the guys shook their heads the wolf took it as a sign to head to her adjoining room. As soon as the door closed she grunted before tossing her duffle bag onto her bed and sighing as she leaned on the soft mattress. Her ribs were screaming at her in protest of any movement she was making. Collecting herself mentally she opened her duffle bag and pulled out a pair of deep grey sweatpants and a black tank top before beginning the long process of taking her dress off – given that she had to reach behind her she knew she was going to be in a world of pain for the entirety of the process. As she managed to pull on her tank top a knock on her door startled her and caused her to jerk in the direction, instantly bringing tears to her eyes. Grunting softly she attempted to clear her throat enough to make herself sound convincing. "Who is it?"

"It's me, can I come in?" Jenna sighed, gathering herself enough to open the adjoining door to see Sly standing there in his normal thieving attire with the exception of his hat. His eyes narrowed on her as soon as she opened the door and he frowned deeply, "Just to let you know I'm sorry in advance."

"Sorry in advance…for what?" Before she could comprehend the statement the raccoon had pushed his way into her room and had picked her up, throwing her onto the bed and pinning her. "Sly! Get OFF of me!" Jenna growled loudly as she thrashed underneath him, holding back the loud yelp that wanted to escape her throat as her ribs protested her movements. After a few minutes of attempting to remove the raccoon from his position on top of her she yielded, a small whimper escaping from her throat as her more canine instincts began to come out. Sly sighed in relief as the strain on his arm lessened. He had known she was injured especially after seeing the trashing she had taken back at Rajan's palace and had become concerned, his concern only deepening when she had had a hard time putting on his jacket – though he hand to hand it to her, she hid her ailments well.

"Alright Bentley, come on in." The turtle poked his head out from the adjoining door before walking into the room with a medical kit in hand. Jenna eyed the two darkly before closing her eyes and sighing, wincing when her ribs throbbed once more. "Now Jenna, do I have the permission to pull up your shirt without you hitting me?" The wolf peered at him through half lidded eyes, the normally light green of her eyes a deeper green. He noticed the pain there as well as a heavy lace of annoyance.

"Lift it above the band of my bra and we're going to have issues Cooper."

"Aw, back on last name basis Jenna?" Sly almost chuckled at the dark look the wolf shot him before he bloused her tank top up so that Bentley was able to see her ribs. "Geez Jen…you're a mess!"

"You really know how to make a girl feel special." She quipped sarcastically and earning an eye roll from the turtle. She remained silent as Bentley examined her ribs, poking and prodding very lightly as he knew how sensitive ribs could be – having dealt with Sly getting into fights had given him enough experience to provide a rough diagnosis of common injuries.

"Jenna…you have an empty spot here."

"Accident," She answered. "I had to have my left floating rib removed before it caused other complications."

"How'd it happen?" The wolf turned her eyes to the hippo and frowned softly at the tender look on his face. Murray had become pinnacle of most of her emotional stability as his compassion was both contagious and apparent. Out of the three members, Jenna had looked up to him for the emotional support she needed, but would never admit to it. Sighing she decided to answer him, ignoring the poking into her ribs.

"Got into a fight about two years ago…" The three members could tell that they weren't going to get any details out of her and they considered themselves lucky to even get that much, especially after forcing her onto her back – literally – to check her injuries. Jenna sighed, releasing the tension in her neck and allowing head to fall back into the mattress as she ignored the surveying of her torso, cracking an eye open to look at the raccoon above her. "You know you can get off of me now. I'm not moving."

Sly only smirked, "Nah, I think it's safe to say that I'm better off up here." He frowned suddenly at the lack of fight from the normally feisty wolf. "You must really be out of it if you're not even going to come back at me on that one."

"Keep talking Sly…just remember what happened the last time you were on top of me." There as an awkward moment of silence between the two before a half-hearted smirk twitched at her lips. She visibly winced when Bentley poked too hard at one of her ribs before allowing her face to even back out.

"Sly I need you to get off of her so I can check her back." The turtle commented as he shot his younger friend a bemused look. The raccoon nodded slowly before moving off of the wolf, now seating himself on the bed and watching as she simply rolled to her left and closer to his legs. Bentley began examining her back before frowning. "I hate to ask this of you Jenna, but I can't really see what kind of injuries you've sustained…while your shirt's on." He was tentative, that much was obvious especially as the wolf shot him an annoyed look. Sighing she nodded before slipping her arms out of the straps of her tank top before frowning.

"I'm gonna need help with this part." She admitted sheepishly. None of the members made any cracks at her, it was obvious that the wolf was in serious pain and that she was taking multiple blows to her ego. All three quirked brows at her and she frowned deeper, "Okay seriously guys? One of you grab the straps and pull it down, you won't see anything…we really do need more females around here." She remarked sarcastically, her brows pinching as none of them move, "Okay turn around…all of you." They did so without hesitation and Jenna grumbled under her breath as she used her arms to shimmy her tank top down her torso and leaving it just above her tail. "Okay Bentley."

The turtle turned back around and nodded as he examined her now bare back, her arms crossing in front of her to hold her head. He could tell she was beyond embarrassed and uncomfortable, but knew that there was no other way for him to effectively check her with her shirt in the way. After a few minutes of checking her back the turtle sighed. "It just looks like some bruising. I doubt you've broken any of your ribs, but you're gonna be sore for the next couple of days."

"I have two cracked ribs on my right side Bentley."

The turtle stared at her for a few moments before frowning deeply, "How do you figure?"

"My mom and cousin studied medicine and it's not the first time I've cracked a rib. It's the top rib and third rib down."

Bentley reexamined the two ribs she had mentioned before nodding slowly. "You're right…we'll just have to keep an eye on it." He then motioned for the guys to turn around as Jenna shimmied back into her tank top before rolling onto her back and sighing.

"Thanks."

The turtle turned and looked at her incredulously, surprised by the gratitude in her tone and especially towards him. "Y-You're welcome…" He became even more baffled when she offered him a tired smile. After a few moments of awkward silence Bentley turned to his two best friends, of whom were watching expectantly, before offering the wolf a nod, "Get some sleep Jenna…we'll be in our room if you need anything."

"G'night Jenna!

"Night princess."

Jenna nodded, muttering a goodnight to the raccoon and hippo as they left before sighing, "Bentley?" When the turtle turned towards her she pushed herself up on the bed and frowned sadly. "I'm sorry…I know I shouldn't apologize for my brother, but I feel as if you guys deserve the apology…and I'm sorry for not telling you about him…I didn't want you thinking that I'd be prompted to turn you in if you knew we were siblings." The turtle was quiet for a few moments before closing the adjoining door and pulling up a chair next to the wolf's bed.

"Listen Jenna, that's over and done with and while I appreciate the apology just know that you shouldn't hide information from us…we allowed you to stick around because Sly felt bad about what he had done in Cairo, but as we got to learn more about you we do see that you're a good addition to this team." The turtle sighed, removing his safari hat from his head and rubbing the top of his head in exasperation. "Any information that you could have about them could be useful to us, but hiding that information from us is only going to make us suspicious of you and your intentions."

He was surprised that the she-wolf was taking his criticism so well, in fact, he had initially anticipated an argument from her. However, she simply nodded her head before looking at him and he could see the sincerity in her eyes – one perk that he had never realized before that moment. "I never expected you guys to warm up to me quickly you know," She paused as she scratched the back of her head. "In fact, I expected the opposite. Regardless of what has happened in the last few hours I just wanted you to know that I'm not my brother…I never have been – but I'm sure you already knew that as I'm sure you've looked into my criminal record."

"I have." Bentley confirmed and Jenna nodded slowly.

"But I do want you to know that I have no intentions of hurting any of you…or turning you into the cops."

"What's with the change of heart?"

Jenna considered his question for a few moments in silence before sighing. Bentley, of course, waited patiently for her to answer, knowing that it wasn't exactly an easy question to just come out of thin air and he appreciated the thought that was going behind it. The turtle, while suspicious of any one that came in contact with both himself and his friends, had only the intentions to protect his family – blood related or not – and he wanted nothing more than to keep them from getting hurt. While speaking to Sly and Murray with her in the car about their old orphanage days, he had been watching the wolf carefully as she listened to each and every story and while watching her he noticed a certain longing that had come to her eyes, probably having related something they had said to something in her own life and he had, at the time, found this suspicious. However, after speaking in great detail with Sly, he now knew this was not the case as she was lonelier than he had first anticipated. He shook his thoughts when the wolf opened her mouth to speak.

"After watching the way you guys protect each other," She paused as she gathered her thoughts. "I wouldn't want to take that away from any of you guys. I grew up with no one really to rely on except for my mother and she disappeared when I needed her the most, my cousin and her husband were living their own lives and I didn't want to burden them and what little friends I did have wouldn't have ever understood what I was going through. The only one I did have was Stevie and his partner Kurt, but I didn't want to ask them for help since they had always done more for me than was necessary. You guys grew up with a similar background in that you all lost your parents at exceptionally young ages." She noticed Bentley tense slightly, but she continued regardless as she felt like he needed to hear this. "While I can't understand what that's like I can tell you what it's like to be abused. Physically and mentally abused day in and day out by the very people you consider to be family." She frowned. "I wouldn't wish that on any of you. To answer you specifically – I changed my mind the moment I learned what it was you three were doing. Why you were stealing the Clockwerk parts. You're a family, and I'd hate to be the reason to break that up…no one deserves to have no one."

There was a tense moment of silence between the two as each appraised the other. Bentley was always a good judge of character and while more tentative and more introverted than his two friends he was able to see a person for how they really were. He had gotten very good at reading people over the years, especially when it came to getting Sly and Murray out of trouble. He was used to having all of the answers and all of the great ideas that would help them out of a bind and especially so when under pressure – he liked being in control of himself and of a situation, but in this poker game between him and Jenna, he had lost the hand he was dealt. Jenna was someone who was unpredictable to him and it scared him, which is what made him so suspicious and tentative towards her, but in that moment he saw her for what Sly and Murray saw her as. She was truly compassionate (as Sly had observed, it was surprising for her breed) and thought about others before herself and was incredibly headstrong and loyal. She had truly considered them as friends and that was what surprised him.

As he thought back on everything that she had done in the last few weeks he realized that her insistent goal to annoy him was her way of making friends. She was exceptionally sarcastic and surprisingly smart even to his standards. He recalled a few times over the years where he had tried to teach Sly and Murray about his hacking and had come up with little to no results, however, when speaking to Jenna about it she had picked up on it in a few hours. It was obvious to him that Jenna was not as bad as he had initially thought and then decided that he would attempt to be a bit nicer to her.

"I…believe a truce is in order?"

For the first time since he met her a genuine smile crossed her lips and this time it was directed at him. "Start over?" Bentley nodded slowly and quirked a brow when she extended her hand towards him.

"Jenna Aleu Auteri." Bentley offered her a slight smile as he took her hand.

"Bentley Turtle."

"Well Bentley Turtle, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

The turtle chuckled before standing from his chair and smiling at the wolf slightly. "Get some sleep Jenna…we'll see you in the morning."

"You too Bentley…g'night."

"Good night."

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**Cue Audience cards that says: AWWW**

Yes folks, Jenna and Bentley are now in good graces **APPLAUSE** lol :D Anyway I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and as I mentioned in the Author's note above, I'm not 100% sure when I'll be updating next so please be patient with me (smiles sheepishly).

As always: reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update :D Thanks for reading!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	9. The Smile When You Tore Me Apart

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Yay another update and in a short amount of time. Originally I wasn't going to update yet, but I got an awesome idea…well not awesome, you're all gonna hate me for it, but it's a necessary evil ;) Other than that, Happy 4th of July everyone :D

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 6**: _BananaB0mb, boona, papercut, Razor of DOOM _and _Guest_:

_boona: _Aww thanks! I saw it fitting to turn the tables a little bit lol :) Besides, Bentley is one of my favorite characters haha…now that I think about it, there are very few Sly characters that I'm not a fan of…ah well :D Thank you for your review and here, for you, is an update :) Enjoy!

_papercut: _OMG I seriously just laughed out loud and almost fell out of my computer chair. That is THE BEST reaction to Sam so far xD I LOVE IT! Ahem, anyways, thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter too :D

_BananaB0mb: _Haha, Jenna definitely throws herself out there for others :P And you couldn't be more right! I'm so happy you enjoyed the Bentley/Jenna interactions. Bentley truly is one of my favorite characters – secretly Murray is my favorite, but I digress lol :) And I know you say don't rush, but I feel like this chapter is important and as soon as I got the spark I couldn't stop lol :D Anyway thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well ;)

_Razor of DOOM: _One of my favorite arcs too :) I can't wait to write the next chapter with it being the betrayal chapter ;) Anyway thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Guest_: Haha don't worry, they'll eventually come to admit their like of the other, just not yet ;) Keep in mind that Sly still has a very strong attraction for Carmelita and Jenna has gone through a recent break up with someone she cared very deeply for. I promise you they'll come out with it in the next few chapters ;) Thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
09_

The next morning the raccoon decided it would be appropriate to wake the wolf in the next room and he stood from the bed and straightened out his pajama pants that had gone slightly askew in his sleep. He scratched his bare chest before stretching out his sore muscles and walking across the room. He glanced briefly at his attire for the day and thought about whether or not he wanted to stay in his pajamas for the time being or just change. Throwing the suggestions back and forth mentally he decided to remain in his pajamas for the time being, tugging a t-shirt over his head and making his way to the adjoining room that held their female teammate.

Jenna was sprawled out onto the bed, her body slightly curled as she lay on her side and hugging a pillow close to her with her face nuzzled deeply into the fabric. Sly's brow arched as he observed her quickly from the deep breaths she took, to her hair that remained wildly askew as she had obviously not taken it out of it's twist before bed the night before to the small residue of make up that was now faded slightly. Walking closer to her he could see that the left side of the bed remained completely untouched and he was surprised, as it was proof that Jenna did not commonly toss and turn in her sleep. Finding this humorous he stifled his laugh into his elbow, mindful of his sprained wrist, before clearing his throat and leaning close to her, "Jenna." He cooed lightly, as if testing how deep of a sleeper she was.

When she didn't budge his smirk widened and he reached a hand out to touch her ear, the appendage twitching, but otherwise remained motionless. The slight crinkle in her nose as he touched her ear did not go unnoticed to the raccoon and he had to swallow his laughter. He then decided, since she hadn't moved yet, to scratch her ear and see what would happen. He had to dip his nose into his shirt in order to fight down his laughter when the wolf arched, pressing her head firmly into his hand as if telling him to continue to scratch and she grunted softly before a deep sigh passed her lips and the it took everything in the raccoon's power not to laugh loudly. His hand then fell from her ear and the wolf pushed herself deeper into her pillow after rolling back over and sighing deeply. "Jen…time to get up."

"Five more minutes," The wolf grumbled in her sleep and the raccoon bit his hand to keep from laughing. She sounded so childish and innocent it was _killing_ him.

"C'mon Jen, wake up~" he continued in an almost sing-song voice and chuckling when she only swatted his hand as he had begun touching her neck and earning another snort from the wolf.

"I don't wanna go to school today." She whined, "Can't you tell Mr. Crow I'm sick today?"

Sly deepened his voice if only to see her reaction, "Sorry, you have to go today." When he received a loud groan in response he almost lost it, and after a moment he noticed the wolf roll over slightly, her front now facing him and her one eye half-lidded and her hazel eyes heavily laden with sleep. He only grinned broadly at her, "Morning princess!"

"Sly…" The wolf mumbled as she glared at him tiredly, "Go away."

"Well as much as I'm sure you'd love that, I thought you'd like to know about the fruit of our labors!"

"Labors being?"

"The end results from Rajan's party…" Jenna paused for a second, blinking at him tiredly before sighing and sitting up slowly, mindful of her ribs. She nodded to him as she fluffed her hair that fell over her shoulders in wavy tendrils and pooling on the comforter in front of her as she had leaned forward, once again being mindful of her ribs. "Well after we got away with the Clockwerk Wings, Carmelita blew her cover and started making arrests left and right," The raccoon began raising a brow when the wolf chuckled, wincing as she did so. "What's so funny about that?"

"I'm getting the image." Was all Jenna said and earning a shrug from the raccoon he smirked at her, continuing his story.

"Anyway, with his reputation in shambles, Rajan was forced to flee from his own party and apparently he's hiding out somewhere deep in the jungle…" Jenna quirked a brow at him as he drew off and she frowned softly as worry crossed his features.

"You okay over there champ?" Sly looked up at her and sighed, _Maybe she's right_, he thought to himself as he frowned deeply, _Maybe I _am _easy to read._ Shaking himself of these thought he returned his attention to the bed-ridden wolf.

"Yeah…It's just that Rajan's still out there you know?" When the wolf nodded he sighed, flopping lazily at the end of her bed, resting his arm over his eyes. "I just feel like something's not right…like we're missing something and I just know things are going to get tough."

Jenna frowned at him openly. It was unusual for Sly to express such pessimism, especially when it came to a future job. He, like Murray, expressed the most optimism out of the group and normally leaving Bentley and Jenna to consider the things that could possibly go wrong and now that the tables had turned the wolf was not only left speechless, but she wasn't exactly sure how to look at it from a perspective that wasn't exactly…cynical. After considering what he had said for a few moments she nodded to herself and sighed. "Well Sly…it's up to you," when he didn't remove his arm from covering his eyes the wolf ran a hand tiredly through her hair, scratching her scalp as she did so. "I understand how important the Clockwerk parts are to you and I get that you want to destroy them once and for all, but is it really worth going up against Rajan?" This drew the raccoon's attention and she raised her hands defensively at the smoldering glare he shot her. "Listen, I don't doubt any of you guys or your abilities, but as the esteemed leader of the group you have a lot to consider and while it's not a role you need to place on yourself you do anyway because you care."

"Get out of my head already." Jenna chuckled as he threw a half-hearted smirk at her before resting his arms behind his head and glaring up at the ceiling. "There's just a lot on the line here…and while I appreciate the guys helping me, I can't help but feel like I'm cheating them."

"Sly," Jenna sighed deeply, leaning forward and poking him in the side to disrupt his thought and to draw his attention away from the ceiling and to her. "I'm sure that if the guys were uncomfortable they would tell you – you guys aren't just teammates you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What you have here is a family and you're looking out for your brothers, I get that completely, but I can almost guarantee you that if they felt this wasn't worth it they would tell you." Jenna offered the raccoon at the bottom of her bed a smile before continuing, "They know the risks, just like I'm sure they did two years ago. From what you guys _have_ told me it's pretty much all hands on deck."

"Yeah…" Sly drawled off as he slipped back into his thoughts. Jenna eyed the brooding raccoon and sighed softly, reaching to her side and taking out the remote. After a few moments of shuffling through the channels she turned the television back off as everything was in Hindi and it was one of the few languages that she didn't speak. "Say, Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you like being called Jenny?"

After a few moments Jenna sighed, "My brother uses it when we get into our fights. I've never really been one for pet names, but I can tolerate them…as long as _Jenny _is not in any vocabulary." Sighing deeply she pushed the covers off of her and swung her feet over the side of the bed, sucking a deep breath of air she pushed herself off of the bed. It took her a few minutes to gather herself on her feet before she slowly made her way over to the corner of the room and pulled out her duffle bag, sifting through its contents and pulling out her clothes for the day.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The wolf looked over at her bed to where the raccoon was now looking at her upside down from where he still laid on her bed and she quirked a brow at him. "Um…getting dressed?"

"No you're not."

"And why is that?"

"You're taking the day to relax."

"Sly, I'm fine."

Rolling his eyes he shrugged, "Fine, but just wait until Murray and Bentley find out that you moved."

It was now Jenna's turn to roll her eyes as she limped over to the bathroom before closing the door. Locking it she decided on a quick shower and as the warm water hit her back she sighed deeply in relief. The warm water on her injuries felt amazing and she quickly set about cleaning herself when she remembered she had left Sly in her room unattended.

The raccoon quirked a brow at the bathroom door before falling back into the bed. He knew Jenna was stubborn, but he hadn't expected her to simply ignore him and go about her morning routine with him still in her room. Shrugging the thought he decided to count the small bumps in the ceiling to occupy his time. He was worried about what the future held and he couldn't find it in him to bring out his optimism as his mind whirled with possible situations and he briefly wondered if this was how Bentley thought on a daily basis and before a job specifically. He frowned to himself – maybe Jenna was right and he was worrying for no reason, maybe this was all in his head. He then thought back to the night before and smirked to himself. Bentley, after speaking with Jenna, had decided that she was able to stay on the team, thus considering a friend…though Sly knew the term was much looser than what he and Murray thought of Jenna.

He was brought from his thoughts when Jenna emerged from the bathroom, again walking with a limp, and donned in a pair of loose black lounge pants and a dark sports bra, her hair still damp and slightly dripping, though the wolf didn't seem to mind as she walked to the side mirror and inspected the bruising on her ribs before reaching into her duffle bag and pulling out an ointment and a roll of gauze and two ACE bandages. Tying her hair up quickly, she dipped her hand into the small cylinder of ointment before spreading it up and down her ribs. She grunted softly as she did so and Sly sat up.

He couldn't help as his eyes took in her form, it was unusual to see her in anything revealing and he observed the vague curve of her hips to her flat stomach, the muscles obviously toned from being a gymnast and a dancer and her hip bones were slightly prominent as she was thinner than he anticipated. Her grey fur was well tamed and the lack of a normal shirt gave him a full view of her off-white underbelly. Granted he knew that she filled out when she was fully clothed, but seeing her at face value, literally, was a little shocking to him. She lacked a womanly form, as she had mentioned the night before during their heist after the run-in with her brother, though where she lacked in the normal curves she made up for with her personality. Though the wolf had never come outright and told him, he knew that being as lanky as she was made her slightly insecure as she lacked what most men were attracted to and it only made him realize how different from Carmelita she really was. Shaking his head as the wolf hissed he stood and crossed his arms over his chest, training his eyes to her ribs.

"Do you want any help?"

Jenna took a moment to realize that Sly was still in the room and blushed slightly from embarrassment. _I don't even show this much fur in a swimsuit_, she thought to herself before nodding slowly to the raccoon who moved next to her and took the ointment from her hand and rubbing her side gently. Jenna held the side of the dresser to balance herself, her ribs protesting angrily to her previous stretching to get the ointment into her sides. She watched him through the mirror as he focused on smearing the salve on her ribs and back where Bentley had pointed out the night before.

"Where'd you get this stuff? It smells…strange."

Jenna chuckled breathily, though she regretted it immediately as her ribs squeezed painfully and she swallowed down a breath before answering him, "Remember how I said my mom was into medicine?" She watched in the mirror as Sly nodded, glancing up at her after a moment before returning his tawny eyes to his work. "Well, I learned it from her…I wasn't just hanging out in the safe house back in Paris while you guys did your jobs you know."

"You know about medicine?"

"I know enough." She nodded quirking a brow when Sly shot her an incredulous look. "What's the look for?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Because you asked me what I considered a strength, not what I _actually _knew."

"And you don't consider this a strength?"

"Not necessarily." Jenna grunted and Sly murmured an apology to her before continuing to rub the salve into her fur. "My instruction of medicine stopped when my mom disappeared…I haven't looked at it since then." She sighed before standing as straight as she could and handing the raccoon the gauze, which he took and nodded for her to hold her arms out. She obliged and sighed as he began wrapping her ribs. "Anyway, I got small refreshers from my cousin since she's a doctor in Cairo."

"You know," The raccoon commented, "I think I've gotten to know more about you while you're hurt then I have in the last two weeks or so." Jenna shrugged lightly and sighed.

"I talk a lot when I'm like this…it keeps my mind off of it."

"So does that mean if I ask you anything you'll probably answer it?"

Jenna considered this for a moment before nodding, "Probably."

"Okay so what does your cousin do?"

Jenna chuckled as her mind had not been aiming in that direction and she sighed as Sly finished with the role of gauze, grabbing one of the ACE bandages off of the dresser and handing her the small metal clasps. "Well Melissa is a doctor and she does…doctor things." Sly laughed as he began wrapping her torso, tighter than he had the gauze. He definitely remembered what it was like to have broken ribs! "And Tauwn is the head of security at the Museum of Natural History centered in Cairo." When the raccoon shot her an apologetic look she shrugged. "Don't feel bad, he needed something exciting. All he complained about was how he never got any of the action, so the missing Clockwerk parts definitely gave him something to do."

"Head of security, multiple police officers and doctors…I'd say your family was pretty well off."

"Yeah," Jenna snorted, "Pretty well off enough to take care of themselves…" After a few moments of silence the wolf sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Hey, I'm not taking any offense." Sly smirked. "Don't worry about me alright?"

"Well someone has to otherwise you'd be getting beaten up all the time…now I know why Bentley's a neurotic mess." It took the raccoon a moment to figure out what she meant before he started laughing.

"Oh that jocular wit of yours never gets old."

"Yeah, I'm such a comedian." She rolled her eyes, opening her hand for Sly to take the metal clips from her hand before reaching for the second ACE bandage and repeating the process. Sly smirked at her as he thought of another question.

"So you started to tell me about this guy Stevie what's-his-face."

"Stevie Hurón?" Jenna laughed, "He was my best friend growing up. Imagine Bentley and Murray as one person and then make him interested in guys…"

"That's an image that just makes me nervous."

Jenna laughed outright at this and despite the wincing she smiled. "Okay maybe not the best comparison, but Stevie to me is how Bentley and Murray are to you. He and his partner took care of me a lot back in the U.S and I seriously don't know where I'd be without them." She chuckled. "I remember getting those two together was a summer long project back in High School. Stevie is…sophisticated…yeah, let me put it that way," She said more to herself than to Sly before continuing her story, "He has a certain level of classiness to him that definitely points out that he's gay, but at the same time doesn't really. Kurt, however, is the complete opposite…getting them together was tough since both of them were so different. Stevie was, and still is, loud and really outgoing where Kurt is more introverted and shy so you could imagine the end results." Noticing the look the raccoon was giving her she chuckled. "You asked," She reminded him before shrugging once again. "Anyway, they've been together since our sophomore year in High School and are still going really strong; I wonder how they're doing…" As she drawled off she shook her head before smiling at the raccoon as he took the metal clasps from her hand once more. "What else you got for me?"

"Fine, what's _your type_?" Jenna quirked a brow at him incredulously before smacking him upside the head, a loud and boisterous laugh pushing up the raccoon's throat as he took a few steps back and smirking at her, "What! You told me that you'd answer _anything_!"

"I said _probably_ not _definitely_." She grumbled before reaching into her duffle bag and pulling out a black tank top before tugging it over her head, "Jerk."

"Aw Jen, that stings my heart."

"Yeah whatever," She smirked as she waved a hand at him and tucked herself back into the bed, laying down on her stomach and sighing lightly. Sly soon joined her after the wolf turned on the television before chuckling. "What?"

"We're trying to watch TV and it's all in Hindi."

For a moment Jenna just blinked before laughing along with him and after a few moments the adjoining door opened to reveal Bentley and Murray, of who was equipped with their gaming system and an armful of games. Bentley quirked a brow at his two younger, near hysterical, teammates and smiled awkwardly as he looked up at Murray. "Murray, do you have any idea what's going on?"

The hippo just scratched his head slightly before shrugging, "Beats me, but whatever it is, _the Murray _wants in on the joke."

Jenna and Sly heard the two of them, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn't answer and soon the wolf's laughing left her coughing and near tears as her ribs screamed at her. Giggling, Jenna looked up at the last two members of the Cooper gang and smiled. "To be honest Murray it wasn't even a joke." Sly cleared his throat from next to her and chuckled.

"It was more like one of those moments where you realize you're doing something stupid and you have no choice _but_ to laugh about it."

"Yeah speak for yourself." Jenna snorted on another laugh. Sly only poked her arm and chuckled.

"You were the bright one who turned the TV on when you can't understand a word they're saying."

Jenna only shrugged in response before looking up at Bentley and Murray, "So what're you guys up to?"

"Well," Bentley began as he gestured to his taller friend, "Murray and I thought, since there's not one television station in a language we know, that we should hook up the gaming system and play a few games until we decide to track down Rajan."

"You mean to tell me that you weren't thinking about work?" When Bentley shook his head the wolf quirked a brow at him, this left the hippo and raccoon to look between the two of them awkwardly. It appeared that, despite the heart to heart that Bentley and Jenna had had the night prior, they weren't going to change the way they acted to one another as it would just seem too weird. Besides, the wolf took great pleasure in poking fun at the turtle since he made it so easy. "Well, be still my beating heart."

"Ha ha ha, very funny Jenna," The turtle sighed with a roll of his eyes as Murray grinned widely.

"I managed to dig out a few games too!" He cried happily, "What do you guys want to play?"

Sly and Jenna looked at one another, the latter shrugging and expressing that she didn't have a preference. The raccoon then selected a game and the hippo hooked it up to the television. The rest of their day was spent playing video games and spending time together, considering Jenna was officially marked on bed-rest thanks to Bentley the gang decided to keep her company and Jenna didn't complain. She was beginning to enjoy their company and she didn't see herself without them in the near future, but what the wolf didn't realize how much that would change in the next few weeks.

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It had been a week since they had stayed at the hotel, a week since the successful heist of the Clockwerk Wings and now it was time to search out Rajan once more. Jenna, Sly and Murray were all crowded around a table that was in the room the guys shared, a map laid out before them and Bentley pointing to key areas that had thick red Xs drawn to map out potential areas of possible places the tiger would have gone. It hadn't taken the turtle long to figure out, according to the map, that Rajan was located somewhere within the deep jungle and so the gang was back on the road once more. During the week Jenna had recovered, the only day she had come out of the hotel was the day that Bentley and Sly had snuck their friend onto the set of an Indian Musical, the raccoon deeming it necessary to have a little more recreational time then they had in Monaco. It was meant to be a three day drive to the part of the jungle they would need to go to and so the gang had pulled over at a truck stop once more in order to pick up gas and some snacks when Jenna requested the one thing the group had been wondering about for the last three weeks:

"Do you think I could call my cousin and let her know I'm okay?"

Bentley, Sly and Murray had considered this for a few moments and while both turtle and even raccoon were hesitant, their older friend had convinced them to let her have the phone call after reminding them of how they had come to gain the fourth member of their esteemed gang. "Alright, but try not to take too long okay?" The turtle reminded her and the wolf had hugged them all, while thanking them repeatedly. It apparently had been weighing on her mind for a while and it made them happy to see that there was full-bodied relief etched into her features as she jogged over to the payphone and imputed the coins she would need.

Jenna waited patiently for the phone to pick up and she smiled when she heard Tauwn's voice over the receiver. "Hey Tauwn! It's me, Jenna."

"_Jenna! Where have you been we were worried sick!_"

"I've run into a little bit of a tangle…I didn't mean to worry you both, but it was kinda…unexpected."

"_I'm just happy you're alright_," The lab sighed softly, relief clear in his deep tone and guilt began to gnaw at the wolf's insides. "_Here, Mel wants to talk to you._" Jenna waited for a moment as the phone was passed between the husband and wife and when she heard her cousin's voice she leaned against the glass of the booth.

"Hey Mel," The wolf's brow furrowed when her cousin's voice, normally peppy, sounded almost depressed.

"_Jenna…I really don't know how to tell you this,_" The husky's voice cracked over the line and the wolf became concerned.

"Mel, just tell me…what's going on? Are you okay?" She briefly noticed Sly looking at her through the glass, but her attention was now on the payphone itself. The husky was reduced to tears, it didn't take the wolf long to tell that as she heard her sniffles and Tauwn's comforting words through the receiver. "Mel…what happened?"

"_We got a call about a week ago…Jenna…Uncle Lawrence is dead._" Jenna almost fell against the glass as her cousin's words hit her. Lawrence was her father, her father was dead? "_We've been trying to find you so that we could tell you, but when we went looking…we couldn't find you anywhere!_"

"How'd he die?"

"_It was a shoot out at a bar. Your father was on patrol, got radioed in and he and his partner went to go check it out. He got shot in the process of saving a civilian and was rushed to the hospital…he died on arrival._"

"Did they do autopsy yet?"

"_Of course they did!_" Melissa snapped over the phone. "_We tried to call you, tried to find you and you wouldn't answer!_"

"I couldn't call."

"_What do you mean you couldn't call!_" The husky snapped, "_You've been missing for almost a month now Jenna do you realize that! How do you think it makes me and Tauwn feel that we opened up our home for you and you just up and leave!_" Jenna was left speechless as her cousin ripped into her. "_What the hell is wrong with you! You could've been seriously hurt, kidnapped or even worse, found dead!_"

"Well I didn't, I'm fine!" Jenna answered back defensively, her brows furrowing tightly over her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm safe!"

"_Where are you! Tauwn is coming to get you right now!_"

"You can't just come and pick me up –"

"_Where. Are. You!_"

"I'm in India god damnit!" Jenna snapped, the line going silent and she sighed, pinching the fur between her eyes to ease the headache. "Look, I know about mom and dad…I found out." Melissa's line was deadly silent, the only way Jenna could tell that she was still on the line was from her restrained sobs and Tauwn's soft questions. "I had an officer do a DNA match-up…well we kinda ran into one another and she offered," Jenna sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, the phone remaining glued to her ear. "I know that dad isn't really my dad…I know that I'm from a family of assassins…my only question is, did you guys all know?"

Melissa was silent for a moment and she could tell she was now on speaker phone as it was Tauwn who answered, "_We did…your mother told us a very long time ago to just keep an eye out for you kid. We wanted to tell you sooner, but Aunt Claudia told us not to tell you…she wanted you to find out when you were older, but now that there's not other option and you know, you're a member of Claudia's family of assassins – the Auteri, but that's not all Jen_." Tauwn took a deep breath before continuing. "_Look kid, we can talk this all out later, right now…is it possible for you to get back to Mass? Uncle Lawrence's funeral is this Saturday and we can explain everything to you then._"

"Is Sam going to be there?"

"_No,_" Tauwn answered, "_He wasn't left in the will so he's refusing to come…that and he said something about working on a case. Listen Jen, I'm sure he already knows you know and I don't know what you've been doing, but just be very careful…Sam's not someone you wanna tango with. Come back to the States and we'll talk everything out there okay?_"

"I'll try…when are they reading the will?"

"_Saturday after the funeral procession,_" Melissa answered this time, her voice soft as it was apparent she was crying. "_His lawyer called and asked to speak with you, but since you weren't here we fielded the call…he's left everything to you Jen_."

Jenna's eyes were wide and she waved Sly off as he tried asking her what was up, "But I thought he hated me?"

"_We can't really explain everything over a phone…we can definitely tell you when we see you._"

"Okay…I'll try to be on the first flight out."

"_Okay kid, we love ya you know._"

"Yeah…I know, love you guys too." Jenna hung up the phone after they said goodbye and turned to Sly, "I have to go back to the U.S."

"Why?"

She sighed softly, making her way back to Bentley and Murray, the raccoon trotting after her. "My father was killed in a shoot out and the funeral is this Saturday."

"But he didn't do anything for you I thought?" Sly inquired, his arms crossing over his chest and eyeing the canine with almost a deadpanned expression. "What's the point of going to his funeral when you hated him?"

"I never hated him Sly." Jenna snarled as she rounded on him, "You don't know what you're talking about so butt out!"

"Easy," The raccoon glared at her, "It was your words not mine!"

"I _never_ said I hated him!" Jenna growled. Murray and Bentley watched the fast volley occurring before them and looked at one another. For the last week the two of them had been getting along like they had known each other forever and now, all of a sudden it seemed, they were back at each other's throats like they had been in the very beginning. The wolf's persona changed immediately to defensive and Sly too took a more defensive stance, though it was clear that he was not exactly fond of the change in the wolf's perspective. "I hate and still hate my brother, but my father was one I _never _hated!" She snapped, her eyes streaking slightly with orange, an odd color, but Sly ignored this as she lunged for the jugular, her kill strike. "What would you know anyway!"

"Watch it Jenna," The raccoon warned her coolly, his tawny eyes hardening at the implication. It was unusual for his anger to show, Sly had always had a way of keeping his cool in certain situations, but even he had to admit that the wolf was treading on dangerous territory.

"Jenna maybe we should just…let the topic drop?" Bentley offered as the wolf's glare hardened, it was clear that this was not something that she was going to let go of easily. Once her temper was struck it took a long while for her to cool down and even harder for her to keep her tongue in check; knowing this, the reptile and hippo shared another look as their brother's frame tensed, the muscles of his arms rippling slightly from the tension in his shoulders and effort, his hands gripping tightly at the sleeves of his thieving uniform and they were sure, underneath the gloves and fur that his knuckles were white with effort and his jaw was clamped tightly to refrain from saying anything.

"You started it," She snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing dangerously and becoming more and more shadowed as the warm breeze pushed her hair into her eyes. "You wouldn't understand this whatsoever."

"Jenna, I'm seriously warning you."

"Warning me!" The wolf snarled, "What're you gonna do? Rough me up!" She challenged with a narrowed glare.

Sly's eyes became piercing as he glared down at the shorter female, "I would've hoped by now that you would know me differently."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't put it passed you." She snapped, her eyes meeting his in a deadly standoff. "How _dare_ you even _think_ of saying that I wouldn't care, he was my father for Christ's sake!"

"You even said so yourself, back in Monaco, that he only raised you and that he didn't care for your well being," The raccoon sneered, "Or was that just an exaggeration to get attention?"

"Don't. You. Dare!" The wolf snarled dangerously, her teeth bearing threateningly at him and her tail stopping its previous movement of swaying slightly as the appendage stilled and began to lower instead. "You have _no clue _what I've ever been through. But I forgot, you wouldn't have the slightest clue what you were doing if it weren't for your _inheritance_! You wouldn't have a purpose at all if Clockwerk hadn't killed your parents would you!"

There was silence. Silence truly is an awkward thing when someone says something they don't mean to in an argument and they can't take it back. For the first time since Jenna had met the Cooper gang she saw real hurt flicker in Sly's eyes as well as an unbridled rage that was being tossed around in his tawny eyes, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty as he had attacked her ego as well. In that moment, it was clear to both Bentley and Murray that the raccoon and wolf knew much more about the other then they had initially let on. The turtle had known about their late night chats and could see the attraction between the two, but at the moment it was clear that the statement "Familiarity breeds contempt" was true and especially for this case. Sly had to gather himself from the obvious jab she had just taken at him and he frowned deeply, training his face to keep neutral before clearing his throat.

"Bentley, Murray…" He noticed both look at him and even the wolf glanced at him in questioning, "We're making a pit-stop to the airport."

The gang got back into the van without a word, Sly taking up the passenger seat and leaving Jenna seated in the back. Neither one spoke to one another nor so much as glanced at the other for the entire trip. It seemed as if the words shared between the two had become double edged swords and they had struck themselves as well as each other. Sly didn't even bother to glance out of the rearview mirror to look at the now sullen wolf as he was lost in his own thoughts. He could remember the day she had fallen into their laps, whilst unwanted at first she had become an amazing help to their cause. He had given her the benefit of the doubt even now as he thought about all of the heart to hearts they had shared – he frowned to himself. It almost seemed as if he was going through a really bad break up and he hated the sinking feeling that was beginning to settle in his stomach and he scoffed quietly to himself. How was it that things could go so well at first and suddenly make a turn for the worst?

He had thought that she didn't care for her father, but then again why wouldn't she? He and her brother were the only family she did have and deep down he understood that family is family no matter how much you dislike the way they act or the things they do. The raccoon began to see his error and as crushing as it was, he was angry. He was angry for being vulnerable to someone other than his brothers and he was now beginning to understand what Bentley had been warning him about all along. Chancing a look out of the rearview mirror he noticed that his reptilian friend looked torn, as if he didn't know who to comfort and the raccoon didn't need to chance a look at Murray to know that he felt the same. To see Bentley look so torn threw Sly's mind completely off. Originally it had been that Sly was torn between believing Jenna and believing Bentley, but now it seemed as if he and the turtle had swapped ideals and he scoffed once more.

Jenna took the time to reflect on everything that had happened in the last month and she registered vaguely that her birthday was on Saturday, though the thought was fleeting. She frowned to herself, bringing her knees up to her chest and turning her head so she could look out of the back windows of the van just as she had during each one of their road trips. She knew that she had just shattered any chance of joining them again, but when she looked up she noticed the turtle's thoughtful look and it appeared forlorn, as if he wasn't sure what to do and she turned her head to Murray to see that, despite his silence, he was fighting large crocodile-like tears and he had to wipe them away every so often as to not hinder his eyesight and she felt a large pang of guilt. Unknowingly she had hurt the guys more than she could have by turning them into the cops and after chancing a glance at the raccoon she knew immediately that she was wrong, but her wounded pride wouldn't allow her to apologize and she acknowledged this bleakly and she allowed her eyes to take in the raccoon's back. He was slouched in his seat slightly, his feet propped up on the dashboard and his arms crossed. His hat was pulled over his eyes slightly and the tension in his shoulders had not lessened.

It was then she realized that they were at the airport. Sighing softly as Murray pulled to a stop she grabbed her duffle bag and slung the strap over her shoulders, sliding out of the van as Murray opened the back doors and offering him a tentative smile. Bentley followed her out of the van and both he and Murray stood with her just before the terminal both looking saddened at her leaving.

"I – ahem – took the liberty, while on the ride over here, of making you a fake passport…" The turtle explained as he handed her a small, leather bound booklet and she took it tentatively and thanked him quietly. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I…suppose I'll live." She sighed finally, clearing her throat from the clenching, "I'll try and keep in contact, but seeing as I'm leaving on the terms I am, I doubt I'll be able to come back."

Murray's lip trembled slightly and he grabbed her in a tight embrace, lifting her effortlessly from the ground and hugging her close. "I'm gonna miss you Jenna!" Jenna, ignoring the clenching of her ribs in protest of the hug patted his back, this time not holding back the tightness of her voice.

"I'm gonna miss you too big guy," She smiled when he released her, wiping her eyes before leaning down and hugging the turtle, the movement surprising the turtle as he hesitantly hugged her back. "I'm gonna actually miss you Bentley." The turtle only nodded, clearing his throat and sighing softly.

"I'll…miss you too."

Jenna stood, clenching the strap to her bag over her shoulder and looking up just in time to catch Sly's eye before both turned away from one another, the raccoon glancing out of his peripheral vision to see her disappear beyond the doors leading into the terminal and he turned abruptly and clambered back into the van, slamming the door behind him. _I let myself get in too deep_, he thought to himself, _I doubt I'll see here again after this…_He shook his head to clear the thoughts, ignoring as Murray and Bentley got into the van, the two sharing a look before the hippo turned the key in the ignition and driving away. Sly watched as the airport disappeared, his eye catching the shrinking image of the wolf as she had reappeared and he frowned. _No turning back now…_

* * *

I'm sure you all hate me right now lol (dodges virtual WMPs and objects thrown at my face). Anyway as much as you all hate it, it was necessary for the next few chapters ;) We're reaching to what I consider an epic climax of the story (Contessa's castle I consider a huge plot turn as it's a huge part of the story as it seems!) ;)

Anyway I know I said that I didn't know when I would update and it's true, I had no idea when I was going to update, but I got the idea for this and it kept on flowing so don't be surprised if updates come really fast from here on out - it could be tomorrow, this weekend or even next week when the next chapter will be out! Ya never know with me ;) But in other news I just started the_Insanity _challenge...totally INTENSE. If you haven't bought it and are thinking about it DO IT! Granted I hurt in places I didn't know existed (I didn't know you had muscles in your toes that can hurt :P), but it's totally worth it! The results, even in the three days that I've been doing it, are AMAZING :D Haha

As ALWAYS reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update ;D

Oh and before I forget, I'm sure you all noticed that I changed the chapter titles...(cue everyone scrolling back up to the top to check), yes I did that on purpose because I can (sticks tongue out childishly) lol! This chapter title was inspired by "Angels" - Within Temptation. Anyway thanks for reading!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	10. Turned Against the World We Know

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Okay I'm not going to lie, I absolutely died of hysterics reading all of your reviews. I knew you would all be mad at me for that move since it wasn't supposed to happen at all ;) But I digress. You're going to find that it was totally necessary for this chapter…I'll admit, it's one of my favorite arcs, but I've recently discovered that I had writing it lmao. I tried seven times to write the arc with Jenna in it and every time I hated it…ergo the end of chapter 9 :) Never fear though, I'm not that mean as to end such a well-received story on such a horrid end :D The whole point _is_ to get them together after all :D

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

- **GO READ THIS STORY NOW:**_A Little Thieving Magic _by wingedknightzero. This is a Sly x OC pairing and it's absolutely brilliant! I just read it and I fell in love with it. It's centered mostly in Sly 3: Band of Thieves, but it's very well written and I feel it deserves more reviews than it has! Please, go check it out and leave a review for this author! It's an awesome story :D

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 6**: (I'll be doing this in order of review because of how many "Guests" I have lol) _Deags, __BananaB0mb, Guest 1, boona, Razor of DOOM, Carmen Veiga, Guest 2, srade9779, GraNNIeShufflez03, Silver Levi, _and _Guest 3_:

_Deags:_ Noooo don't hold out on me lol! I doubt anyone would've done that to you considering how I ended the end of my own chapter nine lol! And thank you very much :D Vacation for me is visiting family so it wasn't really all that relaxing since it's a bunch Irish men and women as well as Italian men and women…interesting mixed batch of eggs, but I digress haha, but thank you for the thoughtfulness :) (Blushes) Ohhh, not at all good sir, I kind of just throw words onto a word document and redo it seventeen times before I'm happy. A author actually gave me that advice: Michelle Zink, author of the _Prophecy of the Sisters_ series basically said throw words onto a document and you can always go back and edit it, hence the secret of my writing style haha. And I'll admit, I think I just received a similar pang in my heart reading that! I'm glad my chapters keep you on your toes and tugs at your emotions – it's actually what I try to do when I write because I think about what I like to see in stories and try to interpret it in my own way…a really rough diagnostic to my own writing, but it's actually the simplest way to put it. I really do thank you for your reviews, seriously, you really give me that criticism I need while also giving me the drive to see what you'll say at the end of another chapter – seriously it's become a goal of mine haha – so I thank you for being that voice in the back of my head, so to speak :) Anyway thank you (once again) for the amazing review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter!

_BananaB0mb: _Believe it or not I have to agree. While cackling to myself as I thought about what everyone's reactions would be I actually had to stop and think about how realistic it would be and especially how nerve wracking it would be to be in the general vicinity of the argument itself. Let me tell you, while as "cool as a cucumber" as Sly is, I'd hate to be the one to make him angry that's for sure. And thank you :) Curveball is very happy to hear you say that lmao, just kidding. I would tell you how exactly everything will pan out, but then I would ruin the next…three or four chapters for you so I won't do that :P And I love chapter titles, because while it gives you a preview before you read it also leaves you wondering why it's called that :D But believe it or not, I was listening to Pandora radio and that song popped up and I was like "Huh, how fitting!" and threw it in there lol. Thanks for the wonderful review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you also enjoy this chapter ;)

_Guest 1: _Haha don't worry! Like it says in the summary – it's a definite Sly/OC pairing ;) I wouldn't not make them get together. I'm just making sure it's keeping you on your toes :P Anyway thank you for your review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you also enjoy this chapter :)

_boona: _I loved reading your review :D It was definitely what the doctor ordered with a definite humor and seriousness to it, so thank you for that firstly lol. I'm glad it came as a shocker to you believe it or not haha, that's definitely the reaction I was going for! Thank you for your review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter too :D

_Razor of DOOM: _Oh yeah…you're gonna see that in the next few chapters for sure. I know that when I've been arguments like that where I regret what I say it definitely takes a while before you start to warm back up to the person (sighs), but thank you so much for your review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Carmen Veiga: _I'll answer both of yours together :D It's no problem if you don't review every chapter lol it's like I say every chapter "reviews are not mandatory for an update", but I'm glad to hear that you were in D.C I absolutely love it there! Ohh don't worry ;) They'll "work it out" in the only way the two of them know how lmfao, just kidding. Anyway I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters and thank you so much for your review! I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter just as much :D

_Guest 2: _Ask and you shall receive! Thanks for the review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy the chapter :)

_srade9779: _Haha you'll see why, I promise you! Thanks for the review and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter as well! :D

_GraNNIeShufflez03: _I'm still waiting for that text btw lmfao! And yes, I know I'm evil ;) You lived with me you should know this hahaha xD thanks for the review chica and I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July, I'm sure you'll like this chapter a lot better than the last one ;D

_Silver Levi: _You're not a horrible person at all :) Life catches up with us at the worst of times lol, trust me I'm not upset :D I'm just happy to hear from you again! And you ask and you shall receive ;) I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Guest 3: _Ask and you shall receive! Here is the next update for you :D I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and that you enjoy this chapter!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
10_

Falling back into society was odd for the wolf and she found herself becoming more and more antsy. It was the day of Captain Lawrence Sheppard's funeral and she was dressed for the occasion in a pair of black suit pants, tank top and a black button up. Her hair was left down as she didn't have the energy to tame it, the long strands falling to the small of her back in thick layers, her bangs falling flat against her brow and she sighed, pulling on her shoes when she heard the car horn. Everything was blurring together for the wolf and she didn't like it. She missed the whirlwind adventures, the adrenaline while on a job, the bantering between her and Bentley, the joking and coloring with Murray and most of all she missed Sly. With a deep sigh she pushed the hurt look of Sly's face to the back of her mind as it was preoccupied with seeing her father. The night before was his wake and to see him laying there in a casket only made it harder for the she-wolf as she never hated her father. Granted his was more strict than most parents, he tended to be a jerk at times and even so far as verbally abusive, but she knew most of that stemmed from his own childhood as well as the memories of his time in the military.

She could remember the nights where her father would wake up with the night terrors and she would have to make him his coffee to help relax him once more. It was those nights she missed. He would come into her room and wake her up, sometimes he wouldn't, but whenever he did there was such vulnerability there that Jenna understood. She understood why he was so hard on her and as much as she hated to admit it she wished she could go back in time and say all the things she should have. Her mind flashed to the day in the airport and a frown twitched at her lips. He had, in that moment, looked so insecure and so reluctant to let her leave, but there was something else in his stance, his eyes that she had not caught that day: fear. There had been an unbridled fear as well as a deep understanding that had missed the she-wolf's eyes and it was then she realized something: he knew he was going to die while she was away; he knew that she was going to find out who she was otherwise he wouldn't have given her the pocket watch.

Robotically she had gotten into Tauwn's car, Melissa in the passenger seat, and now she looked up from her deep thoughts and looked at the two of them. "Tauwn?"

It was silent for a moment before the lab glanced at her through the rearview mirror, his dark eyes questioning her though he had yet to voice it. "Yeah?"

"Did…did dad tell you to take me for the summer?" By the look that the lab and his wife shared Jenna knew the answer and she frowned, "So this wasn't just a random shoot out was it?"

"We couldn't really tell you much over the phone," Melissa began as her finger played with her loose hair, a nervous habit she had whenever she was uncomfortable with something. "We didn't know if it was being tapped into, so we gave you a very clean version as to what happened. Uncle Lawrence's death wasn't accidental, but we can talk more after you meet with his lawyer."

Jenna wasn't satisfied with the answer, but she knew it would have to suffice for the time being and she sighed, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as her elbow rested against the window. Her hazel eyes were more brown than green today, given the type of mood she was in and she frowned to herself softly. She wanted nothing more than to go back home, not at all a fan of how the funeral procession would be carried out. Since her father was both a Sergeant in the Marines and a Captain in the police department, they had decided to honor him by Military code and so he was to be buried in his Marine uniform – his police uniform folded and tucked underneath his crossed hands to honor his other position.

Sighing softly as the car pulled to a stop she exited the car, looking at the group gathered – each dressed in black, some crying and some just shaking their heads. Jenna recognized many of the people who were in the small chapel, most of them were officers from the department and others were from the community and the rest were men in military uniforms, she recognized these men as officers he served with as well as men that her father had to have commanded, each sending her a nod in respect. Jenna had never been religious and being in a church made her slightly uncomfortable as she felt claustrophobic and as if everyone could see her deepest sins and fears, but at that moment as she glanced up over the alter she had to frown softly at the image on the typical Catholic and Christian cross. Her father had been Catholic and she didn't find it surprising that he wanted to be buried as such. Many people tried to make eye contact with her, but the wolf kept her eyes trained forward. It wasn't until she heard the familiar voice of her childhood friend that she pulled her eyes from the isle in front of her.

"Jen," Stevie frowned softly, his expression concerned and comforting and the wolf immediately fell into his open arms. "I'm so sorry to hear what happened."

"It's not your fault." She told the ferret softly. She looked up at him and took in his form; he hadn't changed much from the last time she had seen him, his dark brown fur was kept neat around his oval shaped face, his white mask trimmed just as neatly, his hair brushed back. He wore an outfit to express his mourning in a different way, a bright red tie closing his button up around his thin neck. His dark eyes stared down at her in understanding as he held her at arms length. Stevie stared at her for a moment and the wolf let out a shuddering breath, "It's just…unexpected you know?"

"I know," Stevie frowned softly, his eyes turning to his partner who stood off to the side to give the two friends space as they reunited.

Kurt was a pine marten, and just as lanky as Stevie with the exception of the dancer's body that the ferret possessed, holding a more frail appearance. His fur was a russet brown with light yellow to highlight his cheeks, snout and underbelly. He wore a similar attire to Stevie with the exception of blazer and bright pink bow-tie, his lighter hair brushed back neatly and his brown eyes staring evenly into Jenna's hazel ones, though his eyes expressed sympathy and understanding. Granted he had not known all of Jenna's problems like Stevie did, but he understood enough to know that the wolf was no stranger to loosing those close to her. As his partner removed himself from the wolf, he stepped forward, hugging Jenna tightly and murmuring his condolences into her ear. Kurt was the same height as Jenna, the ferret only a few inches taller than her, and was the more feminine out of the partnership, often having to dress Stevie when attending a formal function since the ferret dressed for comfort rather than style.

"I'm so sorry honey," He murmured quietly, ignoring the tight grip that Jenna had suddenly taken and she pulled away slightly, offering the marten a watery smile, sniffling slightly.

"I'll be okay, honest."

"If you need anything don't hesitate to ask okay?" When Jenna nodded the marten accepted, nodding softly and taking her hand and moving back into the front pew next to Stevie, who was sitting next to Melissa and Tauwn.

The funeral went on, but Jenna couldn't find it in her to listen to the priest's words instead settling for picking at her nails and receiving many light slaps in the hand from Kurt and a short laugh from Stevie. It was just like they were in Sunday school all over again. The familiarity brought relief to the wolf and she offered her friends a small smile to show that she was thankful for their presence. As the chief spoke about how great her father was, Jenna couldn't help the feeling of despair that befell her and she had to wipe her eyes. Throughout the rest of the funeral the wolf's mind kept working with regret and with guilt. A part of her felt like she was the cause of her father's death and as much as she tried to tell herself that wasn't the case, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had a deep part of the seemingly hidden plot. Mechanically she allowed herself to be led out of the church by Kurt and Stevie, her cousins just behind her, and to the cemetery where they would be burying her father.

Gunshots rang out against the quiet of the afternoon and before she knew it the officers she had seen as she walked down the isle while in the church handed her a folded flag as well as her father's dog tags and she frowned softly as they lowered him into the ground. She leaned heavily into Stevie's side; her head nestled in his shoulder and her hand clasping at his if only to keep her in reality, the ferret squeezing hers in return. She could remember the day they had to bury the ferret's father and she had done the same thing for him back then. It seemed so long ago now that they were in high school and she suddenly felt nostalgic as déjà vu washed over her system as if ice water. She ignored the wetness in her eyes watching as they began to officially bury her father and images of the good times they shared flashed before her eyes. A small smile came to her face when she remembered the comfort her father gave her as well as the advice and while most of the time she found herself constantly in disagreement with him, she learned that he was apparently doing so for a reason, but she was more interested in hearing what Melissa and Tauwn had to tell her about his death.

"You okay honey?" Jenna looked over to Kurt and nodded, sighing softly. The funeral had ended and her cousins had decided to give her some time with her friends since it had been a while since she saw them. The marten cupped her cheeks, wiping the tear trails there and offering her a smile. "Tears don't look good on you sweetie." The wolf couldn't help but laugh at his lisp, the marten grinning despite the tear trails on his own cheeks given that he was the more emotional out of the three of him.

"I could say the same thing about you Kurt."

"Oh hush," he smiled, wiping his own eyes and looking to Stevie who was watching the two with a quirked brow. "Stephen, are you jealous?"

"Naturally," The ferret rolled his eyes. Kurt was the only one who had ever gotten away with calling the weasel by his first name as he insisted upon being called _Stevie_. "So what're you going to do now that the old man is gone?"

Jenna shrugged slightly, glancing back at her father's grave and sighing softly. "I don't have the slightest idea…but I do have to tell the both of you something later?"

"Does this have anything to do with you going missing out in Cairo?"

The wolf turned to the ferret with wide eyes, the ferret grinning at her, "That's what I thought. Melissa called us asking if we had seen you and then spilled her guts." Kurt nodded at this, his hands falling from her cheeks to her shoulders and a small frown twitching at his lips.

"We were worried you know."

"I'd be surprised if you weren't," Jenna sighed running a hand through her hair. "I'll call you guys in a bit. I have to go and figure out the whole legal thing with my dad's lawyer about his will."

"You sure you don't want us to go with you?"

Jenna shook her head at her friend and offered him a smile. "Nah, that's okay. We'll meet at your place later?" Stevie nodded with a slowly forming smile.

"I think I can manage that."

"Good you didn't have a choice," Kurt grinned at his partner, "She was coming over regardless…I don't like the idea of her staying by herself in that creepy old house."

Jenna's brow arched at the marten, "That creepy old house is still where I live ya know?"

"Of course I do…I don't know how you dealt with it for so long." Kurt shuddered, "It just _looks_ filthy."

Jenna looked to Stevie and laughed, "You had to pick a germaphobe didn't you?" The ferret only shrugged, wrapping his arm around his partner and smiling at him.

"What can ya do?"

"Love is love after all."

Jenna grimaced at the couple, "Save it for behind closed doors boys. While I love you both, I don't need to bear witness to the love-fest."

"Aw need a hug Jen?" The ferret grinned, "We got plenty to go around." Kurt attempted to stifle his giggles behind his hand to remain polite and the wolf rolled her eyes.

"I'm good thanks, wouldn't want to take away from you guys." She rolled her eyes with a smile and it was then the marten noticed something about her and he quickly leaned into his partner to whisper it in his ear. Quirking a brow at the two she crossed her arms over her chest, glancing between the two as they shared a quick conversation before returning their gazes to her, the marten speaking up.

"Did you, by any chance, meet someone over seas?"

Jenna's brow arched higher at the accusation, soon her mind bringing to light a particular raccoon and she had to force down the blush as well as the wave of guilt that had risen as well, "No." _Yes._

"Oh dear," Kurt eyed her carefully before turning to his partner and nodding, unbeknownst to the wolf. "You just…look different is all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You just gave us a look like you were picturing someone is all…" When Jenna shook her head Stevie cut into the conversation.

"Whatever it is I'm sure it wasn't anything important."

"Of course it's important~" Kurt turned to his partner with a cross look and one that the ferret knew not to question. "Looks like our girl is growing up!"

"Shut up," Jenna laughed before turning her head to look at her cousins who were waiting patiently by Tauwn's rented car and sighed. "I gotta go, but we'll meet up later okay?"

"Sure thing," Stevie smiled as he embraced her, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Just give us a call if you need anything."

"Seriously Puffs, let us know?" Kurt inquired, utilizing his nickname for her and giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek as Stevie had done. Jenna returned both gestures before smiling.

"You'll be the first ones to know." She offered them a wave as she turned to meet her cousins, her friends heading in the opposite direction to where Stevie had parked behind the church. As she approached the two Tauwn turned to her and nodded. "Where are we going now?"

"Well we go back home, the lawyer already called and read us the will so I guess we'll explain what happened."

"Fair enough," Jenna nodded before stepping into the car and glancing out of her window. She only wondered how the gang was doing in India.

~_Meanwhile_~

Bentley sighed as he looked over to his two best friends; everything had been going smoothly as far as their heist to get the Clockwerk Heart was concerned, but as far as the well being of the team itself was another story. Jenna's disappearance within the group was tangible at the least and it had been bringing the moral of the group down. It was weird for even him, not having anyone to argue with and as much as he loved Murray and Sly, he was getting tired of having to explain everything. At least when the wolf was around things remained interesting, but now that she was gone it seemed as if a never ending storm cloud was hanging over the group. The turtle turned his eyes to Murray, who was coloring lazily, glancing at the other page frequently as it had been one Jenna had colored, his large head resting against the palm of his hand. The normal optimism that his pink friend normally possessed was now dulled as if a dirty lense. Bentley removed his glasses to see if he was simply metaphorical in this thought or if his glasses really were dirty. Cleaning them just to make sure he replaced them on his face and looked to the youngest member of the group. Out of all of them, Sly had taken Jenna's leave the hardest and rightfully so – he couldn't imagine getting into an argument like that and coming out unscathed.

Sly had become visibly lethargic as it was apparent he spent more time in his head than in the present moment, though the turtle had to hand it to him, when he was out on a job the raccoon did an easy one-eighty in perspective and attitude even. It was apparent that the raccoon wanted to get his hands on the Clockwerk part and get out of the jungle and had even voiced that after this job he wanted to fly over-seas to talk to Jenna. Sly had never been someone to sit idly by when he was personally hurt, or even when something was bothering him. He was very straightforward, but he did so tactfully – something that the turtle knew Jenna could learn from, then again, if he remembered right, Jenna was still incredibly young. Shaking his head he threw a towel to the sopping raccoon after he reentered the safe house from destroying the satellite array. The turtle had already set up his power point to go over the next set of jobs with the gang, though he couldn't help but glance over to the empty chair that was between Murray and Sly. Shaking this thought he looked to his younger friend.

"Everything went well?"

Sly nodded, "Yeah, that elephant almost ran over me though…kinda felt bad for the guards for a split second." He remarked, removing his hat and squeezing the water out of it before sighing, leaving the towel around his neck after drying his head. "So what do you got for us pal?"

Murray looked up at the two, setting his crayons to the side and frowning deeply. Sly and Bentley looked at one another, there were very few times that the hippo looked even remotely serious and so they gave him their undivided attention. Murray glanced at Sly and sighed. "I know I might not be the smartest out of you guys, but I wanted you to know that I'm a little lost."

"With what?" The turtle inquired as he looked to his larger friend. The hippo's frown remained in place.

"Why did Jenna even leave in the first place?" Murray questioned, "I really miss her and all, but I don't get why she and Sly got into the fight in the first place."

A silence hung in the safe house for a few moments before Sly sighed, flopping into his seat and kicking his feet up onto the table, taking up a façade of nonchalance in place of the ache that normally was there whenever the wolf's name was mentioned lately and it had only been two days. "I started noticing some things about her big guy and when I asked her about it she told me…remember how Inspector Sheppard showed up?"

"Yeah, I don't like him one bit."

"Well," Sly sighed, "That's her older brother. After he left Jenna and I spoke about her past, I guess you could call it, and she admitted to being abused by her older brother and even before that abused by her father." Murray frowned.

"Why didn't she tell us?"

Bentley decided to continue, "Murray do you remember that kid that came into the orphanage just after Sly? The penguin?" Murray nodded and the turtle continued, "Well he was abused; normally when a child or even a teenager is abused they don't mention it in fear of something happening to them. It's a psychological connection that makes the less dominant more dependant on the abuser because they're told it's either done for their benefit to make them better or that they don't have anyone else. It's a common symptom to someone being abused and they don't talk about it. Sly's lucky she even told him that much given the evidence of her physical abuse."

"Is that why her ear looked all messed up?" Both Bentley and Sly looked at one another once more before the turtle nodded.

"Yes, that's only one of the few things that she admitted to…I bet you that her missing her rib was evidence of another beating she'd taken as well."

"She did admit to fighting with her brother frequently." Sly mumbled with a sigh.

Bentley frowned as he heard his younger friend, "It's a common thing among wolves, Sly." The turtle explained, "They fight each other for dominance and if the alpha feels as if his or her position is being threatened by a less dominant wolf then they fight for that dominance, to keep each other in place. It's a natural part of life for a wolf, but the extent of which Jenna's been submersed to is definitely unnecessary and even concerning."

Sly scoffed to himself, removing his feet from the table and leaning forward on his elbows, his head slouching between his shoulders as his expression became brooding. Bentley noticed this and sighed. "It doesn't matter now," Sly frowned, "She's back where she belongs and we've got a job to do. What do you have for us Bentley?"

Bentley and Murray shared a look and the turtle frowned, shooting the hippo a look that clearly said that they would talk about it privately as it was obvious the subject was still so sore for their younger friend. Clearing his throat the reptile turned to his presentation, the frown on his face expressing the gravity of their own situation. "Well, I've got some bad news; Rajan has gone to hiding somewhere in the temple. I guess the destruction of his satellite array and my invasion of his personal space to get the blueprints spooked him." He shrugged slightly at this suggestion before continuing, "To get at his portion of the Clockwerk Heart we'll need to drive him out into the open. Given Rajan's spice-addled temper, I'd recommend making him angry. First, we'll destroy the center of his operation: the spice grinder, then we'll demolish the dam above the temple in an attempt to flood him out. If that doesn't work, I've made arrangements to exchange one of the temple's visage rubies for some high explosives; which, if necessary, we can use to flood the whole temple grotto. If my psychological profile is accurate, Rajan should pick up the other half of the Clockwerk heart before making his escape, effectively bringing it to us."

"Sounds solid," Sly stated before standing. "I'll go take care of the spice grinder…you two stay out of trouble." His friends could tell that his smile was forced as he replaced his hat on his head, waving at them as he jogged back out into the rain. It was clear to both of them that Sly wanted to keep Jenna off of his mind as much as possible and Bentley couldn't necessarily blame him.

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"Okay, so explain this to me…" Jenna frowned as she sat across the table from her cousins, nursing a mug of coffee in her hands and watching both canines closely. After the funeral they had all gone back to Jenna's house to get into clothes that were more comfortable, the wolf now donning a pair of blue and yellow plaid shorts and matching blue crewneck sweatshirt. Melissa sighed, adjusting the hoodie she wore and looked up at her cousin from behind her bangs. "You said that dad's death wasn't accidental."

"You're right…Tauwn and I have our suspicions that Uncle Lawrence's death wasn't accidental, but that it was a hit."

"A hit?"

"You know…like assassination type of stuff?" Tauwn suggested, earning a nod from the wolf before continuing. "Well, your dad had told us a long time ago now that Sam had been acting weird and he changed his will at the last minute so that nothing was left to him – this way you would at least have something to your name. He knew all about you being a part of an assassin family, it runs in your blood and he understood that and, in fact, cultivated it."

"Cultivated it?" Jenna inquired unsurely, "You mean him screaming at me and forcing me to take up martial arts wasn't an accident?"

"Well…not exactly," Melissa clarified. "Your dad knew that you were an assassin and when he noticed Sam acting extremely weird, especially after he took you up in charges, he decided to bring out your more…aggressive side. He thought by being strict with you was going to tap into that side of you so that he could tell you and then it would all be out in the open and he could begin teaching you about the life of assassins."

"So dad was an assassin?"

"No," Tauwn shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee and running a hand through his short hair and sighing. "Uncle Lawrence wasn't an assassin himself, he was an informant to your actual father's family: the Auteri, however, that wasn't the only group of assassins he was in tight with." When Jenna quirked a brow he chuckled. "Lawrence was married to an assassin Jen…think, why do you think Aunt _Claudia _taught you about medicine…she left you the biggest hint of all."

"Anyway," Melissa cut in before Jenna could answer. "The night of the shoot out, we later found out through the grapevine of assassins that each member that was at the bar that night was part of a well known crime syndicate right here in Massachusetts, that's not the important part though. We were later informed that one of the members that was killed was a member of the Auteri."

"But I was told I was the last remaining Auteri."

"We thought so too," Melissa agreed, pulling her long black hair into a bun at the top of her head, her full bangs curtaining her brow. "It appears, from our source, that there were two other members of Vincent's clan: Dominic and Christian Auteri, brothers and the cause of the clan's demise." The husky explained. "The one found dead at the scene was Christian, the youngest of the brothers…these two men, Jenna, are your uncles. Our source expressed the importance of meeting with you to tell you all of this because we have reason to believe that you're their next target, but we can't be sure. As far as they know you don't exist because you were the child of an affair."

Jenna took in this information, staring down into her coffee with a frown before she turned her eyes back up to her cousins. "Okay, so I fell off of the map to these guys…but if that's the case the woman that my dad was married to, was she my legitimate mother?"

"Yes…but _Claudia_ wasn't her real name Jen." Melissa nodded. Tauwn watched the two, having stood to get another cup of coffee. "_Claudia_ was a name she adopted as it was the same as Vincent's wife. Now, Vincent Auteri and your mom were rightfully married by Native American laws in hopes of uniting two assassin clans, but in order to keep up appearances in Italy Vincent married Claudia Genovese…_Claudia_'s real name is _Delia_, but this isn't as important, though good to know. Our source then informed us that the shot that killed Uncle Lawrence wasn't from Christian Auteri…it was from a gun registered under an alias _Alexander S. Wolfe_…"

"Sam," Jenna frowned, "That _has_ to be Sam…but because he's an Interpol officer I'm sure he'll manage to cover it up."

"Our thoughts exactly," Tauwn frowned.

Jenna once again absorbed the information before a frown twitched at her lips once more. "Why did my mom leave then…if she knew that I would find out about all of this assassin stuff eventually?"

"She thought it would keep you safe."

Jenna's frown deepened, "And you both knew all of this."

Melissa and Tauwn shared a look before the male sighed. "We were told to keep this information from you as long as possible, but after your father was seemingly assassinated we found it fitting to let you in on the secrets. Now Jenna, it's no lie that Sam clearly does not like you…it's because he found out about this too early."

"Too early?" Jenna questioned, leaning her head against the palm of her hand as her confusion was apparent. Melissa frowned softly, deciding to answer the wolf instead of her husband.

"When we were little, Sam didn't like that his mother walked out on them and it only got worse when Uncle Lawrence married Delia. His dislike was obvious because she had a child with another man, which his mother taught him was strictly unforgivable, so he hated you from the start." Jenna snorted humorlessly earning a small chuckle from Melissa, "Anyway, Uncle Lawrence didn't see this at first until after Delia had to leave because she was needed back in her clan in preparation for something – I'm not privy to that information since I'm not a member of the clan – that's when Sam became more violent."

"You don't have to tell me."

"Uncle Lawrence was afraid to admit that Sam was slowly getting out of control, but that's not the reason why Sam attacked you all those times Jenna…you have to understand that Sam was being influenced by a higher power."

"A higher power?"

"Clockwerk," Tauwn answered with a deep frown. "I'm positive you've heard of him." When Jenna nodded slowly he sighed, "I figured as much. The Auteri brothers were working under the European terror, the old bird convincing them to kill off the Auteri…but he knew that Vincent had produced a child. That child was you Jenna."

"So let me get this straight," Jenna frowned. "You mean to tell me that Sam is somehow working for Clockwerk and is trying to kill me because of it?"

"As long as he thinks you're not aware of your assassin heritage."

Jenna's eyes widened. "It may be a little late for that…" She swallowed thickly, pushing out from the table and standing, the wolf pacing as her thoughts raced miles a minute. Finding one thought to stick to she turned to her cousins and frowned deeply, a real fear tangible in her features. "What would happen if I made a connection with someone and Sam knew about it?"

"What do you mean?"

She gulped at the seriousness in Tauwn's voice and the matching looks on both his face and Melissa's. "That day in Cairo, when I went missing, I ran into the Cooper gang – because I tried to stop Sly I was kinda kidnapped and brought along for the ride…back in India we were trying to steal the Clockwerk Wings from the Klaww gang member, Rajan, and Sam was there…he saw me with Sly."

"We you wearing the pocket watch?" Dread began to fill her at the panic in her cousin's voice and she nodded solemnly. "Did he see it?" When Jenna nodded again Melissa's eyes widened. "Oh shit."

"That would mean he knows." Tauwn cursed loudly, his hands slamming on the table. Jenna immediately jumped to the defensive leaning on the table and staring at her cousins seriously.

"It wasn't my fault! We were escaping the ballroom and we were intercepted by Sam. He chased us to the drawbridge and as we were almost there he grabbed Sly, I didn't think I acted! As I was getting away though he grabbed the chain off of my neck and I didn't notice really until I got into the van."

"_Damn_."

"Jenna this is really serious…" Melissa frowned softly, her expression serious and understanding all at the same time. "If Sam knows that you're aware of your heritage and he knows the Cooper gang is helping you then –"

"Then I just put them all in danger," Jenna finished her eyes wide as realization began to set in. "As if they didn't have enough to worry about already! _URGH _WHY AM I SO STUPID!"

"You wouldn't have known Jenna, it's not your fault." Melissa consoled gently, "It's our fault for not telling you sooner."

"No, you don't understand Mel!" Jenna fired back, tears beginning to well in her eyes as the severity began to hit her. Reality certainly was a bitch. "That day at the museum, that raccoon you asked for help was Sly! That was Sly Cooper and he was there scouting out the Clockwerk exhibit – when I joined them I found out because of Constable Neyla and –" Her violent rant stopped suddenly as she realized something. Neyla worked in the same department as Sam, there wasn't any way that the tigress wouldn't have run into the wolf at some point or another and the she-wolf wouldn't put it passed her brother to try and get the information from the tigress. "Oh _shit_!" Without another word she raced up the stairs and back into her room, ripping off her pajamas and replacing them with her black harem pants, stealth boots and three quarter sleeved shirt. Reaching into her closet she pulled out the duffle bag she had while staying with the Cooper gang, throwing in a few different pairs of pants and shirts, ripping her fitted military-like jacket off of its hanger and tugging it onto her slim body and throwing another leather jacket into her bag before running back down into the kitchen where Tauwn and Melissa were looking at her questionably. "I just sealed their fate…I need to get back to India."

"Do you even know where you're going?"

Jenna shook her head slowly, falling into the wooden chair with her head in her hands. "All I know was they were going after Rajan's spice operation somewhere in the deep jungles of India for the Clockwerk Heart." Tauwn and Melissa looked at one another before looking at their distressed cousin.

"We can get you to India in the next few hours…" Jenna looked up at the husky who was now smiling at her. "Aunt Delia kept it hidden in a warehouse downtown…if we hurry we could get there and take it so that we can get you to India."

"?"

"Your mom was a genius Jen," Tauwn chuckled. "Back in her hay-day she used a biplane to get around. She left it in a warehouse downtown that she bought out years ago. She told us to use it in case of an emergency and I'd say this is enough an emergency to bring it back into business."

"But I don't know how to fly!" Jenna yelped earning a laugh from Tauwn.

"Kid look at who you're talking to." The lab grinned before slinging his jacket onto his shoulders and motioning for the wolf to get going. Jenna didn't need to be told twice as she grabbed her bag and headed out to the car, Melissa and Tauwn close behind her. They made fast work of making it to the warehouse before the lab lead them to where the plane was situated. It was small, Jenna would definitely give it that much. The smooth metal was painted black and on the side of the plane was a detailed image of a dream catcher with a paw centered in the middle. She vaguely remembered it being on the back of the picture that had been in the pocket watch and she watched as Melissa and Tauwn got the plane going. "Now remember when I taught you about parachutes?" The lab inquired, fixing a backpack to the wolf's back and strapping her in. When Jenna nodded he smiled. "You're gonna need to jump out of the plane, we'll get you to a safe altitude and tell you when to jump. Count to ten before pulling the lever here," He instructed and Jenna nodded quickly, listening intently. "Now you're gonna need this," he placed a small knife in her front pocket after showing it to her, "to cut yourself loose."

Satisfied that Jenna knew what she was doing they got into the plane and the lab took over the controls, fixing the helmet to his head and motioning that both females do the same. Jenna felt the plane roar to life and lurch slightly before the lab used the empty road as a runway, just missing a cop car and taking off into the dark night. While in the air Melissa turned in her seat and smiled at her cousin. "Hey Jen, before you jump I wanted to give you these." Jenna frowned as a long tube was placed in her hand made out of bamboo as well as a belt of pouches. "The tube there is a traditional blow gun," She explained, "You have toxic darts that have a sleeping serum in them in the pouch that rests on your hip, they won't affect you since there's small rubber balls on the ends to keep you from pricking yourself." The husky explained, "It was your mother's stealth weapon. In each pouch are items that will help you scale walls – bear claws and various grappling hooks as well as the line that goes with them, but this is your mother's main weapon that she wanted us to give you." Jenna's eyes took in the long pole, longer than the one on Sly's cane and the large, abnormal hook at the end. "This is a crook; you've probably seen them before on sheep farms. Your mom used this mostly for offense and it's outfitted with metal underneath the initial wood and separates into two separate parts: the crook itself and the shaft. I undid the two pieces, but it goes into the holster on the back of the belt here," Melissa placed the folded crook into the specified holster that rested near the small of her back. "It has a wire that holds it together and is an effective assassination tool, but for your purposes running around with thieves, you won't need it for that." Melissa then turned to her husband and frowned, "How far 'till drop off?"

"About an hour, you got time."

"This thing can move that fast?"

"Let's just say we're not following the laws that abide to airborne vehicles." Tauwn chuckled earning an incredulous look from Jenna, but she was thankful that it wouldn't take long for her to save the gang.

"Now Jenna, you already know this is a phone." Melissa tucked the mobile device into another pouch of her belt. "It has mine and Tauwn's numbers in it already, but I made a few modifications to it so that it can translate different languages, act as a GPS, highlight thermal frequencies as well as topographical ones and finally, track signals of certain vehicles, cops and say…a _binocucom_ or two?"

Jenna looked up at her cousin and offered her a grateful smile. "Thank you so much Mel."

"No problem. If we all make it out of this alive we're gonna go into business as suppliers for thieves and such." She grinned, "It's a hobby."

"Wait," Jenna frowned. "That means you guys are informants as well right?"

"You got that right kid," Tauwn smiled widely. "We've been informants for Aunt Delia's clan since she left when you turned thirteen."

The rest of that hour Jenna thought about the developments that had just occurred before her eyes. She had managed to figure out that her brother was a huge player in this metaphorical chess game she was a part of, a determining factor to the future of the Cooper gang as well as herself. Jenna knew that if it came down to it, she would sacrifice herself to keep the guys safe. Her thoughts were interrupted by Melissa tapping her arm slightly. "What's up?"

"We're almost at the drop off point where Tauwn picked up the signal from the Cooper gang's van. I just wanted to ask you something," Jenna's brow arched from underneath her bangs, having tied her hair in a loose bun at the back of her head a while ago. "How important is this Sly to you?"

Jenna was at a loss of what to say and she couldn't help the sudden heat in her face and she only hoped that Melissa couldn't see it. The wolf hadn't really thought of her feelings for the raccoon, but she knew that she felt something when he was around. Things felt easier for her and she knew that if she could depend on anyone it was Sly, even though she was still a little hurt by him, she knew it was shy of what he must've been feeling. She felt guilt wash over her suddenly and she sighed, "I…I don't really know to be honest, but I said some things to him I shouldn't have." Melissa studied her cousin carefully, a smirk growing on her lips, though this went unnoticed to the wolf as she continued. "He's a really great guy once you get passed his cocky attitude and his sarcasm…he's actually really sweet. He makes everything seem so easy and so…light?" The husky had to hide her growing smirk. "He…he defended me against Sam." Melissa's smirk fell suddenly. "He was ready to put himself in between the two of us at Rajan's ball and I told him…_everything_."

"Oh Jenna…"

"I don't know why, but I feel so _attached_?" She leaned her head back against the plane's inside and sighed loudly in frustration. "I don't know what it is, but I feel connected to him somehow and it's so _different_ than I've felt about other guys before."

"Sweetie," Jenna rolled her head to look at her cousin, her brow arched in questioning at the husky. "You may want to tell him that…I don't know what you said to him, but if he makes you feel this good about yourself and confident enough to share what happened to you with Sam then he's worth keeping around. I think you may just like him."

"No I don't think it's that."

"I do," Melissa smirked. "I say the same things about Tauwn you know." When Jenna snorted the husky laughed. "Remember how mom and dad hated me seeing him?" When Jenna nodded she smirked, "I told them _exactly _what you told me just now and they let me marry him you know."

"What?"

"Yep," The husky smiled. "Your partner needs to compliment you and not belittle you. Don't fall into some pit with someone like Sam…I pity the woman who marries him, but I digress. Someone who knocks you around isn't worth it…based on what you just said about this Sly…" Melissa smirked. "I better be meeting him at some point you here?"

Jenna waved a hand at her, a blush rushing to her face. "Yeah…"

"Good." Melissa smiled, "Promise me that I'll meet him soon okay?"

Jenna raised her head and sighed, knowing that Melissa would settle for no less and she smirked, taking the husky's outstretched hand and shaking it. "I promise."

"Good, now get going! You have a man to save!"

Jenna nodded as Melissa slid the door open for her cousin giving her a tight hug as the wolf braced herself before looking at Tauwn. The lab nodded at her, offering her a two finger solute before motioning that the wolf get going. Looking back down at the racing forest below her she jumped.

* * *

Whoa...lots of information that I just threw at you. Sorry for that. I'm sure some of it is confusing so if you're not sure what's going on I'll answer your questions either via PM or review - but within reason. If it's gonna spoil something later than obviously I can't tell you :( Sorryy!

A lot of filler in this chapter and I'm sorry for that, but it's imperative. You got to meet Stevie and Kurt! My two favorite OCs - they come more into play much later, but just know they are incredibly important to Jenna's character as they are the "Bentley and Murray" to her "Sly"...if that makes any sense lol :) Anyway, Jenna finally admitted that she likes Sly, despite how much she doesn't want to and in her own little way ;) We'll see where this takes us!

Anyway - as always, reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update :D

The song title for this chapter as inspired by "Towards the End" (Within Temptation) look up the song it's really pretty actually :) Thanks so much for reading!

Much love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	11. Crash My Car Through Your Window

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Hi everyone, I know this was a really fast update, but I definitely wanted to make up for how sloppy the last chapter was as far as my grammatical work as well as the structure itself. I apologize for that, but I promise that this chapter was gone through a few times to catch mistakes, but I'm positive I missed a few…Ah well. Let's move on to the stories you all NEED to read and my reviewers ;)

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

- **GO READ THIS STORY NOW:**_A Little Thieving Magic _by wingedknightzero. This is a Sly x OC pairing and it's absolutely brilliant! I just read it and I fell in love with it. It's centered mostly in Sly 3: Band of Thieves, but it's very well written and I feel it deserves more reviews than it has! Please, go check it out and leave a review for this author! It's an awesome story :D

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 10**: _OceanFlower_, _Razor of DOOM, BananaB0mb, Papercut, Why Fireflies Flash, Guest_ and _raginrad77:_

_OceanFlower: _Haha a pleasure to make your acquaintance :D I'm glad you liked the last chapter and yeah, I decided to integrate her feelings…FINALLY lol. I was going to do it a little later, but given that it's chapter 11 now, I feel as if it's appropriate lol. Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Razor of DOOM: _Yeah, that's what I meant lol. It was almost 4am where I was when I finished doing the end of that chapter so I may have gotten a little mixed up. And yes, it was fast, but I promise I'll make up for it haha. Keep in mind that originally wasn't supposed to happen…later on I'll discuss what was really meant to go down and by later I mean maybe after the story is complete lmao. Anyway thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well!

_BananaB0mb: _Oh that's just the very tip of the iceberg to come. I legitimately had to map out the entire thing so that I remembered how it worked because it's confusing even to me…but with any hope it'll clear up with time and Jenna learning more about herself throughout the series. And hee hee, I'm glad to hear that you're getting suspicious and you should be ;) And don't worry…you'll see how that pans out next chapter…the beginning of it all is right here in this chapter though :) And that's so cool! I would ask where you're from, but I feel as if that may or may not make you uncomfortable. I love meeting new people so excuse my excitement at that lol :) Anyways, thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Papercut: _LMFAO! There are no words other than LMFAO…thanks for the review and the laugh, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

_Why Fireflies Flash: _I started out saying "Oh I'm so happy you went on vacation" but then soon saw (rather read) how miserable you were and decided to change my mind. Lol, anyway I'm glad that you were able to get out for a bit, but I'm so sorry you had a terrible time and got sick on top of it! That's the worst :( In regards to your reviews (before I start rambling lol!) I'm so happy you enjoyed that moment! I HAD to throw that in there because I was getting tired of writing Bentley as a suspicious character – he's reasonable at least lol. And I loved that part too…it was nice to see how friendly they had gotten and then I had to ruin it (blushes sheepishly). I'm the same way when I get up…I have full length conversations with people when I'm being woken up and then don't remember them…it's a freaky thing. And your nerd-dom is shared by me as well lol :D And it was really confusing for me to write too…I had to go back a few times and double check the notes I had made – it was a terror and still is, but hopefully as the remainder of the story goes on and as it continues into the next story (yes there's a sequel :D) it'll get a lot clearer. And he is :( I hate writing Sly like that, but after the shot Jenna took at him I would be kinda hurt too. Anyway Kurt and Stevie are my favorite characters and are based off of my best friend and his partner (of course names changed and all), and I think they're adorable :D And no worries I loved reading this review! It was so good hearing from you again and I hope you feel better soon! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

_Guest: _You know I didn't make that comparison at all…in fact, I forgot that it even existed…awww I miss One Piece :( Sad fest over, sorry about that lol. Anyway thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well :D

_raginrad77: _Thank you so much :) And I'm sorry about the teasing :P I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
11_

Bentley stared, flabbergasted, as Interpol officers descended upon Sly, Murray and Rajan. Every fiber of his being wanted to race out there and save his friends as cuffs were placed around their wrists and around their necks. His eyes didn't even fall to Carmelita who was being arrested as well, his eyes trained only on his friends as Neyla smirked at them almost wickedly. By the trembling lip and the dark scowl on the hippo and raccoon's faces, respectfully, he could tell that the tigress's betrayal was surprise enough to them as well. The next thing he felt was anger. A deep and intense rage that began in his stomach and raced through his veins almost as if a wildfire and he vaguely thought of the contradiction; being a cold-blooded creature by nature. His mind raced with possibilities and as much as he didn't want to admit it, his mind pointed to the only person who wasn't there to defend themselves: Jenna.

Sly glared at Neyla, his brows pinched tightly as the tigress smirked at him. "Why Neyla?"

"Naturally you didn't think a _cop_ would help a _thief_ did you?" She whispered to him, approaching him closely and holding the front of his shirt in place as he attempted to jerk away from her, but given his restraints there wasn't much wiggle room. "I am rather disheartened to not have found Jenna with you, but then again, she always was the perfect _informant_."

"She's not even here, why would she help you?"

"I gave her something none of you could." Neyla smirked at him, "I gave her an identity…a life that was so much better than the one she had before." Grabbing his lapel in her claws she leaned into his ear, her lips grazing the appendage and causing the male's ear to twitch slightly. "Her allegiance _would_ be to the one that gave her the best deal…after all, she's so incredibly naïve." Sly couldn't believe what she was saying. A part of him fought violently against the notion of the wolf betraying them, but the other part of him – the part of him that was scorned – fed off of the words coming from the tigress's mouth. However, his mind quickly concluded that Neyla had betrayed them, why would she be so gracious to give the name of their betrayer when she had done so herself. Sly chose not to voice this, ignoring as Neyla removed herself from his proximity, his cane slung over her shoulder before grinning at him wickedly. "Alright Contessa."

"And what do you plan to do with Cooper's weapon?" The widow inquired with an arched brow over a thick crimson orb, her pincers crossing over her chest and a hidden smirk on her thin lips, "Surely you don't plan on bringing it with us." Neyla turned her eyes to meet the tawny of Sly's irises before smirking again and glancing at the crook almost in admiration.

"Seems such a shame to get rid of such a nice looking tool," The tigress began before her fist clenched around it and with a great lunge of her nimble body she threw the cane into the dense forest as hard as she could, turning her cool eyes to the raccoon only to smirk. Sly had visibly wretched at the loss of his family heirloom, the fight and anger that had originally been in his eyes now sobering as his capture seemed to set in and though one couldn't tell through the darkness of his fur, he had paled as he watched the last remaining piece of his family fly through the air and disappear into the thick forest. Turning to the Contessa, Neyla nodded. "Take them and the traitor away."

As Sly was being moved into the armed vehicle he glanced over his shoulder to see Sam making his way over to the tigress, the frown on his face a dull comparison to the light in his blue eyes. His eyes then looked passed them to see the face of his seeming betrayer looking on the scene in horror and his brow furrowed. Why was _she _here and why wasn't _she_ speaking to her accomplices as Neyla had been so gracious to point out? He turned back around as the vulture forced him into the van with Murray slowly walking in behind him.

Neyla watched the raccoon and hippo with a frown on her face, something inside of her didn't sit right, but she knew it was too late now to fully change what she had done. She ignored the wolf beside her as he looked down at her, "That was rather cruel, even by my own standards." The tigress scoffed, her hand resting on her whip.

"I needed a scapegoat," She shrugged. "What better person to use than one that isn't around to defend herself?"

Sam looked down at the tigress to examine her facial features. Neyla, he knew, was a very good liar and had a very good skill when it came to persuasion, being a hidden member of the Klaww gang like the Contessa was no surprise for even he had a double agenda as well. Finding no dishonesty in her face he shrugged. "Sounds fair, but using it to the guy that likes her and she the same…that sounds like something I would do."

"You would." Neyla agreed, her eyes turning up to meet the wolf's. "The way you treat her says as much." She walked away before the larger wolf could reply, the feeling beginning to crawl under her skin and she recognized it vaguely as being her conscious. She knew she had done wrong, but a part of her didn't care. She was promised a much higher prize than the meaningless feelings of a few pawns on the chessboard. Shrugging her thoughts she climbed into the squad car that she and Carmelita had taken, now her squad car and before anyone could question her she hit the gas, leaving the scene behind and returning to where she would be stationed until she could get back to France. Sam was an unnerving character and she actually felt bad for the raccoon and hippo, especially if he was going to be their interrogator.

Shaking this thought as well she returned to where she was staying and sighed, fingering the hotel's key card in her fingers and frowning. A part of her was incredibly angry that she had torn apart such a well knit group, but the thought of Jenna's disappearance was odd. She had used it to her advantage, sure, but something about it was unsettling. Deciding that this was merely a coincidence she closed the door to her room, flicking on the lights and removing the hood of her scarf from her head, her dark locks tumbling across her shoulders. Suddenly her guard as up as she noticed a slight breeze coming in through the sliding door of her room, the curtains that were meant to cover the glass blowing slightly in the breeze from outside. With a frown on her face she grasped her whip, allowing the length to fall to the floor in preparation to attack, however, she was not expecting the attack that came.

Dodging the curved blade that was swung her way she rolled forward, returning to her feet only to dodge once more. Her attacker was garbed in dark clothes and so she couldn't discern them amongst the slight shadows in the room and from the speed of which they moved. Her attacker soon returned up close and she was forced to dodge backwards, albeit clumsily, swinging her whip in defense and smirking as the figure blocked, the length of the whip wrapping around their arm. With a hard tug, she pulled her attacker forward and quickly brought her knee up, catching the figure in the stomach and swinging her other hand forward with an uppercut, catching the figure in the side of the face. This, however, did not seem to bother the figure as they rolled with her punch, throwing a punch of her own aimed at the tigress's chest, the feline gasping at the power behind it before the figure continued with their combo swinging their other hand in a short jab to the constable's stomach and finishing it with a vicious push kick. Neyla was sent into the wall and immediately she brought her arms up to block her face as the figure jumped at her once more. Finding an opening the tigress threw an open palm forward and sending the figure backwards a few paces before moving forward with a series of punches and kicks, successfully knocking the figure onto their back as they fell over the bed. Quickly she raced over to the side of the bed the figure had fallen behind only to frown as they were no longer there. Suddenly she felt pressure on her neck and noticed the gleam of metal and she gasped as she felt something tighten around her throat and she struggled against the figure as she tried to release herself. Through her quick and panicked gasps she managed to squeeze out an inquiry: "Who are you?"

"A scapegoat huh?" The figure asked breathily, obviously struggling as hard as the tigress was as the figure aimed the blade at the tigress's throat, the point held straight. "Isn't it interesting when karma strikes back faster than you realize."

"Jenna?"

"Oh so now I have a name?" The wolf inquired breathily as she jerked the chain she had managed to loop around the tigress's throat if only to keep her still long enough to have her questions answered. "Funny, how you bring people in that can't defend themselves…and to think I actually trusted you."

"That was your own fault," The tigress snapped, her one hand pulling the chain off of her neck enough to breathe and holding Jenna's striking arm at bay, though she realized that the wolf wasn't placing as much force into it as she should have if she was intending to kill her. "What do you want?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Betray the Cooper gang?" She inquired calmly and in a sickingly sweet voice, her tone almost mocking, "What are they offering you that you would betray a band of thieves who are trying to rid the world of evil in a more effective way than law enforcement?"

"Oh so a decorated military officer's daughter hates the law?" Neyla almost choked when Jenna jerked the chain around her neck almost violently, reminding the feline who had the upper hand in this situation.

"I'll ask you again," she frowned, a growl surfacing in her alto as she placed emphasis on each and every word and syllable. "_What. Are. They. Offering. You_?"

"Nothing that's worth you knowing," Neyla snapped with a growl of her own, her eyes searching for a way out of her current situation. Jenna sighed behind her.

"You know, this would go a lot easier if you just give me the answers that I want." She reminded the feline, putting more pressure on her bladed hand her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Now, is Sam in on it?"

"Pft," The cat scoffed, "No. He has his own agenda."

Jenna leaned forward, her lips resting against the cat's flattened ears, "Good, now, who is he working for?"

"How should I know?"

"You work with him, you're obviously hiding something otherwise you wouldn't have tried to get into Contessa's good graces, nor would you have put away Carmelita. What's your gain?"

With a jerk of the chain once more Neyla winced, she had to give it to the wolf, she was almost as intimidating as her brother. It was clear to her that the wolf was not going to release her unless she got answers and while Neyla was stubborn, she wasn't stupid. Sighing slightly she raised her chin in order to supply more air into her lungs and to attempt at more comfort against the pressure on her neck. "Carmelita was a wrench in my success, she was obsessed with the Cooper gang and Sly especially. Is it wrong for me to be spiteful of a woman as well decorated as that fox with that well of a track record and get treated like dirt? Like I said to you back in Paris, I'm not as black and white. Crime exists in this world and I'll do whatever it takes to bring justice to that world."

"A world where you just put away a group of honest thieves?" Jenna snapped, "You failed to answer my other two questions. I'm not a killer, but I will hurt you if you don't give me the answers I want."

"So you really did take to your assassin blood?" Neyla grunted. She was going to bide as much time as she could. The tigress knew that the wolf would grow tired eventually and would release her if only to focus on something else; it was all part of the breed's psychological profile, but as Jenna's bladed arm tensed she suddenly realized that Jenna was more patient than others of her breed.

"Not yet…I'd rather not have blood on my hands, even though I think it'd be rather fitting how you've wronged me." She remarked airily. Jenna was not naïve by any means. She knew enough from living with her brother and other police officers that word games only keep your target from backtracking to try and cover up a wrong that they've done and she knew especially well how to dance around a subject only to get back to her original point. Growing tired of the games, she tightened her hold on Neyla, her eyes narrowed into a glare and her lips curled in an angry snarl. "Now, answer my first two questions."

"Which ones?"

Jenna jerked the chain earning a hiss from the tigress, "Don't play games with me Neyla." The wolf snapped, her eyes turning a fierce green once more. "Now, who is my brother working for and why are you trying to get into good graces with the Contessa?"

Neyla swallowed thickly as the wolf placed more pressure on her neck. "Sam has been working for two brothers of your clan. He promised to cover me if I told him about you and your connection to the Auteri and the Genovese. He and I had worked out a deal and he agreed to help me with my own goals in Interpol if I got close to you. I was protecting my own hide." She ground out from behind clenched teeth. "And the Contessa is a secret member of the Klaww gang. She uses the spice that Rajan and the Klaww gang produces to help with her hypnosis and to force criminals to reveal the hold of their riches. She plans on doing that to Sly and Murray no doubt." Neyla grunted as the grip on Jenna's blade tightened. "I'm trying to bust her within Interpol."

"Where are they being held?"

"Probably the Contessa's rehabilitation center," The tigress answered quickly, her back arching as more pressure was put on her neck. Jenna's scowl deepened.

"Where?"

"The Czech Republic…Prague, I believe." Neyla gasped, taking in large and greedy gulps of oxygen as the pressure on her neck was removed and she was pushed forward, her hand nursing the sore appendage gingerly.

She turned green eyes to look at the wolf to see that all the confusion she had once had was gone and replaced by a deep fire and she winced as the wolf's glare was fixed on her. Neyla took in her dark garb, surprised to see she was wearing a hooded jacket with a dream catcher attached to the sleeve, her hair left down and braided back in a fishtail braid. In that moment, she looked so much different than the girl she had met in Paris and even more mature than the one she had seen at Rajan's ball only a week ago now. That guilt that she had at turning in the Cooper gang suddenly came back full force at the angry and betrayed look that crossed the wolf's features. Glancing at her weapon, Neyla could now see the tool of her capture – a whip chain. The crescent shaped blade was attached to a long and thin chain that the wolf was now wrapping into a loose loop, though her eyes remained on the tigress. She could vaguely make out the shape of the Cooper family's heirloom on the wolf's back and she frowned suddenly. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Fixing your screw up," Jenna remarked quickly, venom laced into her tone and earning a wince from the tigress.

"Alright I deserved that," The feline admitted, "But I was referring to your brother. He's undoubtedly in Prague as we speak."

Jenna frowned softly, her eyes trained on Neyla's form carefully, watching her for any sudden movements before answering her. "Then I face him head on…this game is going to stop. It's your skin, but I can tell you right now," Neyla quirked a brow at her, still leaning against her bed and rubbing her neck. "Get out of league with my brother…if you don't I may just have to take care of you as well."

"Are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat Neyla," The wolf remarked slowly, her brows pinching tightly. "It's a promise." Jenna turned to the door of her room, her hand hovering on the handle to the sliding door, "Oh and Neyla?" She could hear the shifting of Neyla's weight as she stood straight from leaning on the bed. "I'm sorry this friendship couldn't have worked out…" She then turned and left. The feline rushed after her to see that the wolf was already taking off down the road on a speed bike, the engine roaring from underneath the wolf as she disappeared into the night. The tigress cursed to herself before looking back into the room to see on her dresser was a rose with a piece of parchment tied around its stem with a black ribbon:

_207 546 9200.  
This is the only chance I'm giving you to make things right.  
- J.A.A._

Neyla looked back out of the sliding doors that Jenna had disappeared behind only moments before and allowed a small smile to twitch at her lips. The wolf was giving her a chance to redeem herself and she was going to take it. "Perhaps it's time to reconsider some choices I've made."

~_Meanwhile_~

Melissa thanked the delivery man and looked down at the package in her hands and frowned, pulling it open and calling to her husband. In her hands was Jenna's crook as well as a note. Tauwn smirked, glancing at the weapon to his wife.

"I knew she wasn't going to use it."

"What do you mean?" Melissa frowned, "This was her mother's."

"She wants to branch out on her own…" Tauwn explained, "I can understand that." He removed the letter in his wife's hands before glancing over it briefly.

_Mel, Tauwn,_

_Thank you for the gifts my mother used, but I can't use this weapon for myself. If she's still around…wherever she is, then send this back to her. I have to make my own way with the only weapon I'll ever be comfortable using. Don't be offended guys I thank you for letting me in on everything and I hope you continue to keep me in the loop._

_Before long,  
Jenna  
xoxo_

"This kid is a pisser."

"She always was a smart ass wasn't she?" Melissa laughed when her husband only kissed her in response.

"You have no idea."

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(¯`' • ·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•٠· • '´¯)  
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It had been about a week before Jenna made it into the Czech Republic and she sighed, making another pit stop to refill her motorcycle engine. She had not stopped the entire time, if only to refuel and to grab food. Now that she was in the city of Prague she deemed it necessary to find a place to stay and she soon found herself pulling up to a small motel. Checking her phone's GPS once more she sighed, turning the bike off and chaining it up to the side so that no one would steal it before making her way to the front desk. She had made sure to put all of her assassin gear that had been given to her away and she walked up to the front desk, smiling sweetly at the receptionist, a young rat. He was dressed in the typical uniform and he held a smile on his face when he saw her.

"_Jak vám mohu pomoci_?" Jenna scratched her cheek and shrugged at him slightly to show that she had no idea what he was saying and the rat smiled. "How can I help you?" He asked in English and she smiled nodding at him and looking behind him at the key rings.

"I'm looking for a place to spend the next few days…do you have any open rooms?"

The rat nodded and handed her a key ring with a tag on it. She looked down at it noticing a bold number ten and smiled at him once more. "Your room will be number ten and if you would like you could pay by the day – we don't really get much business." She smiled at him and nodded her thanks, placing down the asked upon coins and making her way to her room. Locking her door she tossed her duffle bag onto the chair in the side of the room and quickly got to work on locating Sly and Murray. She knew that Bentley wouldn't be far behind, but knowing that Neyla had used her as her scapegoat was going to definitely make things harder for her to regain the gang's trust. Shaking the thought for the time being she opened her computer and turned on Skype, having texted her cousin a few moments ago.

She heard the ringing a few moments later and accepted the call, now looking into the face of her cousin and her husband. "_Good to see you made it okay. Where are you anyway_?"

"I'm in Prague." Jenna answered as she removed her jacket and flopping lazily into the chair at the desk, her laptop perched on the desk itself. "Would either of you two have any info about the Contessa?"

Tauwn and Melissa looked at one another before frowning. "_Why are you in Prague and why do you need to know about the Contessa?_" The husky inquired as she scratched her cheek slightly. "_I thought we dropped you off in India_?"

"You did…" The wolf sighed, resting her head against her palm, "I got there too late – Neyla betrayed the gang and the Contessa carted Sly and Murray to her rehabilitation center here in Prague…Neyla was _kind_ enough to give me the answers I wanted." Melissa and Tauwn shared a look, but otherwise didn't say anything before both shrugged and they returned their eyes to their younger cousin. "So what do you know about her?"

"_Give me a little bit to crunch some data,_" Tauwn suggested as he got up from his seat and exiting the frame, leaving his wife to look at her cousin.

"_You should do something different with your hair,_" Melissa commented. "_Considering the whole _new you_ thing you got going on, I think it's appropriate._"

"Yeah and what do you suggest?" Jenna inquired with a quirk of her brows. Melissa only smiled.

"Well you want to catch the guy's eye right?" Jenna shook her head with a sigh.

"I have to get back into good graces with him first Mel." The husky only gave her a dark look and Jenna sighed before nodding slowly.

"Alright, do you have scissors in that bag of yours?" When Jenna nodded the husky's grin became giddy. "Great, now go get them and I'm going to send you a picture. You can cut your hair while you wait for Tauwn to get the data you need…trust me, not only will it draw attention to you, but it may help in keeping Sam off of your hide for a little while longer."

With a small sigh Jenna agreed and she looked at the photo that her cousin sent to her, shaking her head. Getting up from the chair she made her way into the bathroom, messing around with a few different ways she could cut her hair, brushing her bangs into her face and sighing to herself. While her hair wasn't everything to her, she did enjoy it's length and the different thing she could do with it, but her cousin's words rang true. If it would help change her appearance enough to keep Sam from noticing her she would do what she had to do. With a deep breath she began cutting her hair, her bangs were the first to go. Instead of her bangs being parted to the side as they had always been she brushed them in front of her face, cutting the dark brown tendrils straight across. Looking up she noticed they fell just under her eyebrows, now expressing the full exaggeration of her eyes, the stretched lid that was naturally outlined due to her breed. Measuring her long hair to her chest she began cutting, deciding it was best to layer it afterwards. She ignored the feeling of her once waist-length hair falling passed her and the lightness of her head, though she had to admit that it did feel good to have the extra weight cut off. Looking in the mirror she then decided to cut it at an angle and so she kept the length in the front and cut it around her shoulders so that the front was longer – her finished product was a long bob and she was content with the looks of it, layering the rest of it just as she had seen in the picture.

(**A/N**: IT. IS. SO hard to do this by yourself – I've always cut my hair when it was longer so I just went with what I remembered…I don't necessarily trust hairdressers all the time, but there, of course, was that ONE instance where I had to go and see a hairdresser and I've been going ever since…lol ^-^;)

"_Alright Jen, I got specifics for ya!_"

"_Lemme see your hair!_"

"_Her hair? What'd she do to it?_"

"_Cut it, duh!_"

Jenna sat back down in front of the screen, her brow quirked slightly after she had managed to pull it into a half-ponytail the tresses already beginning to adopt the wave that her hair normally took when not weight down and long. "What do you got for me Tauwn?"

"_OH MY GOODNESS!_" Melissa squealed, her grin wide, "_I __**love**__ it!_"

"_You look good kid_."

"Thanks guys, now can we please move on?" The wolf sighed, ignoring the looks she received from her cousins.

Tauwn cleared his throat before looking down at the pad that rested on the desk, Melissa also looking over his neat script. "_Okay basically I just dug up her file through our grapevine; our own informant happily gave us the info we needed. Her background is a little…backwards_."

"_It is not_," Melissa argued with a roll of her eyes before looking up at her cousin. "_This is important information that you're gonna need if you want to understand her_."

"_At the moment, your friends are the_ unwilling _guests of Interpol's most renowned prison warden_. _While still a criminal psychology student, she entered into a whirlwind romance and married a wealthy aristocrat; sadly the union was short lived as the general _suspiciously_ died a few weeks after the ceremony_." The lab explained and Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Not surprising…she's a spider for Christ's sakes."

"_Yeah_..." Melissa agreed, "_But here's the part that's interesting. The widowed Contessa put her education and newly acquired estate to work by opening a _criminal rehabilitation center_. Her pioneering use of hypnotherapy has produced some good results, and subsequently earned her a prominent position within Interpol._ _Your friends are most likely locked somewhere in the clinic and are slated for the Contessa's "good samaritan" brainwashing. If you don't bust them out soon, they'll be working a nine to five job selling shoes_…"

"_Shoes_?"

"_Yeah what else_?" Tauwn asked his wife with a pout, "_An Interpol officer? Honey, don't make me laugh_."

"_Anyway, the most important part is that she's the prison warden so if you're going to get anywhere you're going to have to go through her_."

"Yeah, but based off of the information that Neyla gave me she's a secret member of the Klaww gang…"

"_Right_," The husky nodded, "_Your best bet is to get to her rehabilitation center and try to listen in on her or any of the guards conversations…I would say steal one of the guard uniforms, but with your luck she'd catch you_." Jenna rolled her eyes slightly, knowing that her cousin was right. "_But before you do that…our informant managed to dig up some more info for us_."

Jenna's brow arched, "Yeah and what's that?"

"_It's been all over the news that Constable Neyla has managed to arrest the Cooper gang and a cop-turned-crook Carmelita…I remember her from when Uncle Lawrence had to attend those formal parties and she's all he spoke about…no doubt if the Cooper gang is behind those walls, Carmelita must be too_."

Jenna considered Tauwn's statement before nodding. "Okay, thanks for the help guys. I'm gonna head over to the rehabilitation center and see what I can do. I'll phone in the verdict."

"_I've already programmed the center's GPS coordinates into your phone…it'll bring you right there. But Jenna, if she caught the Cooper gang wouldn't that mean you're going at this alone_?"

"No," The wolf answered. "She only caught two members of the group. Bentley is still out there somewhere and if I play my cards right I should be able to win back his trust enough to help him break Sly and Murray out…but if not, then I'm going to have to figure it out as I go."

"_Alright, just be careful of Sam_." The husky warned, "_You already know he's going to be there and has undoubtedly already got his hands on your friends there…just handle this with extreme caution_."

"I will," Jenna nodded. "Thanks for the tips."

"_Talk to ya soon sweetie_," Melissa smiled, placing the hand she kissed on the lense, Tauwn doing the same.

"_Keep your chin up kid…let us know how things go_."

"You guys will be the first to know…Oh! Before I forget, can you apologize to Kurt and Stevie for me?" Jenna frowned, her brows pinching. "In everything that was going on, I completely forgot to go over and talk to them –"

"_Already taken care of kid_," Tauwn grinned. "_They had no problem with it, they understood, but don't be surprised if your phone gets blown up at one point or another_."

"I'll look forward to it." Jenna smiled for the first time in the last week, "Thanks guys. Love you."

"_Love you too_." The two canines chorused before Jenna disconnected the computer, returning it to the confines of her back and deciding to take a shower. Making the shower as quick as she could she allowed her tresses to curl slightly, a natural thing her hair did when wet before grabbing the leather jacket out of her bag and throwing it on and replacing the dream catcher emblem on her arm: the symbol of her clan she recently found out. Zipping up the front of her jacket she adjusted the pants at her hips as well as the belt before making her way out of the room. Returning to the main lobby she saw that the rat was no longer there so she jotted a quick note of thanks before leaving her key on the table with the note and walking out. It was going to be a long while before she made it to the Contessa's rehabilitation center, as per the coordinates and estimated time her phone was projecting it was going to take her a little over an hour.

As she adjusted her grip on the handle bars, her bike revving to life underneath her the wolf sighed. _They better thank me for this when I'm done…first things first though: Break Sly and Murray out and then apologize…_

~_With Bentley_~

The week had been hard on the turtle and it was apparent in his face, but he wouldn't sleep – he _couldn't _sleep. His top priority was breaking his friends out of jail and he was going to do it. He had spent the week sleepless, bent over his computer and crunching data like a Trojan virus to a hard drive and even after the three day drive he refused to sleep. Setting up the safe house had been an interesting feat for him as the turtle normally relied on Sly and Murray to carry the heavier items and even Jenna was helpful when bringing in the monitors for the binocucom station. Without the three of them the turtle was extremely lonely and even more of a neurotic mess than normal. Over the week he had had frequent asthma attacks and even had begun to have slight panic attacks – having returned to the safe house in France as quickly as possible. Surely if he wasn't caught for thieving with his friends he was going to be caught speeding across freeways at three o'clock in the morning. Shaking the thought the turtle wiped his brow of the perspiration, having finished setting up the binocucom station, taping down the wires, setting up his thief-net computer and at least filling the old and crooked cabinets with instant noodles.

Sighing to himself he replaced his safari hat on his bald head and grabbed his crossbow off of the table, deciding that he would try and gather information about the whereabouts of his friends before getting much needed rest. He knew that even if he tried, however, sleep would evade him. Shaking the thoughts in his head he suddenly wished that Jenna was there – granted he hadn't trusted her in the beginning but she always had a way of calming down any of the guys and offering words of both encouragement and an uncanny wisdom that managed to put even him at ease. Making his way through the city of Prague was scary enough during the day, but through the illumination of the street lamps being the only possible way one could see, the snow that fell softly to the ground but refused to stick and the patrolling guards that served the Contessa, at night no less, was incredibly daunting. Bentley found himself jumping at even the slightest of noises, almost terrified to shoot any guard with his sleep darts in fear of drawing attention and he needed to get to the Contessa's house before anything else happened.

Taking a deep breath, the reptile began his accent along the side ramping of the house jumping when he heard the tank make a round near him, thankful that the search light had not hit him before quickly making his way to the top. Standing now on the dish at the top of the spider's house brought both relief and terror shooting through his veins and leaving the turtle cold with the feeling of unsettlement. If he was caught there would be no hope for the Cooper gang!

He placed his binocucom to his nose and looked through, thankful that the feeling of the device against his face brought him relief. It was now time for Bentley to summon his bravery – his mind quickly drew up the character from a children's book he had read as a hatchling "Winnie the Pooh" it had been entitled and he was the esteemed character of _Piglet._ His mind was brought from his thoughts when he noticed the prison warden herself walking along the prison wall with a familiar black wolf trailing besides her – the two in obvious conversation.

"Ah-ha! The Contessa is out making her rounds…with Sam no less. Wait a second, the feathers on my sleep darts vibrate near sounds. If I maintain my position on top of the parabolic dish I should be able to hear that frequency at a distance!" He grinned at his own genius as he replaced his binocucom to his eyes. "If I tag the Contessa with my darts I'll be able to listen in on whatever she says...I might even learn where she's locked up Sly and Murray!"

Taking careful aim with his crossbow, the turtle released his breath before pulling the trigger – the dart sailing across the distance and attaching itself to the Contessa's exoskeleton. "**The Klaww gang is falling apart, spice shipments have all but stopped." She complained to the wolf walking besides her, "Argh! I never would have joined if I knew it would be this easy to disrupt the plan. At least the Cooper gang is under lock and key...their lopsided morality flies in the face of man's inherent selfishness. Ah well, they'll see it my way soon enough**."

"**You know Contessa**," Sam remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "**While having the Cooper gang under lock and key is quite the feat to be proud of, I would be more concerned about the absence of my younger sister**."

"**Oh and why is that**?" The arachnid inquired, her brow arching as she looked down at the canine. "**I thought she went back to the United States in order to cry over dear daddy Sheppard.**"

"**Bastard**," The wolf cursed, "**She did, but I'm almost positive by now that she's heard the news and will come running here as soon as possible**."

"**Then we have a member of the Auteri as well**," Contessa shrugged slightly. "**What more do you want me to tell you Samuel**?"

"**I want her gone, easy as that**." The wolf remarked, eyeing the larger spider besides him. He was vaguely reminded of "Little Miss Muffit" and immediately shook his head. "**She's learning about her heritage too quickly…she could destroy the Klaww gang, you and I both know that and where would we be**?" The wolf persuaded carefully, "**We be left at the bottom of the food chain and naturally she'd try and uncover our secret identities…most likely turn us into Interpol.**"

"**Bahhh**!" She sneered, "**Those fools at Interpol! They keep sending me criminals and I keep making money. How come no one ever thought of this before? Hypnotize criminals and force them to reveal where they've hidden their fortunes...I'm a genius! If only I had more spice to help me with the hypnosis**..."

"**Well you and I both know that will no longer happen**," The wolf commented airily, "**With Rajan's operation folded it's only a matter of time before you're going to actually have to work**." The canine smirked with the spider hissed at him and he waved his hand. "**I'm only joking Contessa, relax. As long as the Cooper gang is under surveillance and I get my time with that rat I couldn't care less what you do. Speaking of**," Sam murmured, his blue eyes narrowing on the arachnid. "**What do you plan to do with the two captured thieves**?"

Contessa thought about it for a moment before scoffing, "**That blasted Cooper gang**," She murmured more to herself than to the wolf next to her. She was well aware that there were _three _members of the Cooper gang and not two, but she knew it wouldn't change anything as far as hypnotizing them. "**The fat one...what's his name? **_**Murray**_**, yes, Murray, he'll be the first to break. I should spend a few sessions probing that feeble mind, I can only imagine the wealth that gang has accumulated over the years**!"

"**From what I managed to catch from the bug that I placed on Jenna back in India it's quite a bit. Though I've since lost contact…either she found it or it washed away**."

Contessa grinned sinisterly before turning her attention to the wolf. "**And have you made any break through with Cooper**?"

"**No**." Sam growled, "**He refuses to talk during our **_**sessions**_** – though he seems to have grown attached to Jenna…even after what lies Neyla fed him about Jenna helping in his capture, he still defends her. It's almost like he's in **_**denial**_." A loud snort sounded from the wolf before he punched the nearest guard to him.

"**Please do not take your own petty problems out on my guards**," Contessa remarked icily earning another snort from the wolf as well as a muttered apology. "**That Sly Cooper**..." She cooed, drawling out his name as she cradled her pointed chin in her pincer, "**such a complex and rebellious mind. A month or two in **_**The Hole**_** should break his spirit. Let him squat there week after week...he's seen that the guards along the walls all have motion detectors. There is no escape. Slowly the reality of his captivity will set in...and I'll get to work on his mind…you've already done a number on him physically after all, it's only a matter of time**."

"**Yeah and what of Jenna**?"

"**If she turns up then we will use her to get the information we need out of Sly…love certainly is an easy thing to play with after all**."

"**You would know wouldn't you**?" Sam scoffed, his arms resting across his chest. "**That's how you got this estate in the first place**."

"**Yes, but you'll see…we'll keep them both alive if only enough to get what we need**," Contessa remarked, glancing down at the smirking wolf. "**Then you can do whatever you please**."

"**That's a plan I can get behind…easily**."

Bentley's eyes widened at the conversation, removing his binocucom from his eyes in shock. "_Inconceivable_! She's no health care professional! Why that's the most heinous crime I've ever heard of! Putting inmates into hypnosis so they'll tell her where they've stashed their loot. It dishonors both law enforcement and thieves at the same time! And, and that no good, low down treacherous fiend! He's no brother, nor a law enforcer!" Bentley couldn't contain his anger as his blood boiled beneath his scales. "Jenna wasn't behind it at all! I _knew_ they were up to something!" His mind then quickly began working a mile a minute and he cupped his chin in his gloved hand as he frowned, "I should get to work and figure out a way to get Sly out of _The Hole_."

On his way back to the safe house, Bentley tried to come up with a fast plan, if a plan at all in order to break Sly out. If what Sam and the Contessa had said was true, then he had to get the raccoon out as soon as possible. As he was running back he crashed headlong into a guard and knocked on his back. Now when any turtle is knocked on their back it takes a few minutes for them to get back up and Bentley now found himself in that position. The vulture loomed over him with a wide smirk on his face, picking the turtle up by the collar of his short and aiming his gun at him. "Now ain't this cute!" The guard sneered at the reptile. Bentley began to panic, surely if he placed a bomb near this guy then it would undoubtedly hurt him as well. "A little turtle out for a walk about the city?"

"U-um yes you could say that?" Bentley stuttered as he tried to come to a quick decision on a plan of action. He could feel his asthma beginning to kick in as well as the more recent panic attacks he had been having and he struggled in the bird's grip earning a dark chuckle.

"Don't you know to stay inside at night?"

"I-I!"

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The vulture had only enough time to turn around and look to the new voice before he was punched in the beak, the bird dropping the turtle in the process – the reptile landing on his back and groaning. Looking through his glasses that had gone askew he could make out the image of a much smaller figure fighting with the vulture before taking something out of her pocket and hitting him over the head, effectively knocking him out. Ignoring the fact that he couldn't see straight, Bentley choosing to get on his feet instead – he didn't know if this figure was a friend or foe! He tried hitting the figure as it came closer to him before he heard a feminine sigh followed by a grip on his arm. He was then hoisted to his feet and he fixed his glasses quickly to see the face of his savior. "Jenna!"

"Hey Bentley," Jenna offered him a tentative smile, brushing off his back and looking him over. "You look terrible."

"Why thank you," The turtle remarked sarcastically, his brows pinching. "I just came from a beauty pageant."

"You almost sound like Sly," The wolf sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Look Bentley, I know I'm not in any way, shape or form one to speak for what's undoubtedly happened to you in the last week or so, but I want you to know I had _nothing _to do with you guys getting ambushed."

"I know."

Jenna deadpanned slightly before quirking a brow at him, "You…you already knew?"

"Yeah." Bentley shrugged, "I just overheard a conversation with the Contessa and Sam –"

"So he's already here." Jenna frowned softly, "We don't have much time then."

"No we certainly don't." Bentley agreed, "I already have everything set up in the safe house…let's head back there and figure out what to do for the time being. I gathered a lot of information that could be useful." The wolf nodded slightly, looking passed the turtle as if making sure that they weren't overheard, nor about to be discovered. Bentley took in her form, noticing immediately the change in her appearance and he frowned, "Did you get your hair cut?"

"Yeah." Jenna blushed slightly, "I did it a few hours ago in order to keep Sam from recognizing me quicker…I have information for you guys too."

"Well let's walk and talk."

Jenna nodded again, falling into step next to the turtle as he began the explanation of what he had just overheard. By the end of it both he and Jenna were fired up enough to take on an army of vultures under the employment of the Contessa and the wolf snorted slightly. "Okay so what's the plan?"

Bentley contemplated this for a few moments before he noticed a computer resting by the train station, a light bulb going off in his head as an idea came to him. "Jenna…did you manage to get Sly's cane? I couldn't find it anywhere…"

"Yeah, I made sure to bring it." Jenna nodded, gesturing to her back where the cane's hook was covered in a black cloth. "I covered it to keep it from looking to conspicuous…why what do you have in mind?"

"I'm gonna hack into the train's terminals…the speed of the train and it's trajectory should made a hole big enough for Sly to crawl through…"

"But what about the motion sensing guards on the wall?" Jenna inquired after a moment of thought, "Wouldn't that alert them to the prison escape happening?"

"Well the second phase of the operation is to bomb them with my RC Chopper, so it doesn't really matter if they know or not."

"Okay…I think I see where you're going." The wolf frowned looking up at the rehabilitation center's walls. "I'll start climbing up there and wait for you to get that train going…I'll keep in contact as much as I can, I only hope that Sam doesn't show up while all of this is happening."

"Oh and Jenna…"

The wolf stopped from her stride away from the turtle, her brows arched slightly in questioning to the reptile. "Yeah?"

"Don't break his heart."

Jenna was taken aback by the statement, but noticing the deep furrow in the turtle's features she nodded slowly, her face softening. "Don't worry Bentley…I plan on making all of this right again…first we need to get a certain raccoon out of jail."

"I couldn't agree more!"

* * *

Yay Bentley took it well and even gave Jenna permission LE GASP!...now it's on to Sly's reaction. BOM BOM BOM...Sam reveals a LOT here, did you all catch it?

In other news I'll be waiting a while before the next update ;0 I think two right on top of each other is fair enough lol :D

Chapter title inspired by: "There's no truth in cliche" by Escape the Fate

As always - reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update ;) Thanks for reading!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	12. Silly Rabbit Tricks are for Kids

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Bam, bambambam! Here I present you chapter 12 lol! Okay on a more serious note this here is the longest chapter I've written in a while so be happy! There's a lot that goes on in this chapter and it may get confusing…I had to reread it a few times, because it does change a lot…I listened to so many different tracks in order to finish this chapter and I'll be honest – I had no idea where I wanted this to go, but it went and I'm pleasantly evil ;D Haha totally kidding with you all, but no seriously…read to find out ;). Let's move on to the stories you all NEED to read and my reviewers ;)

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

- **GO READ THIS STORY NOW:**_A Little Thieving Magic _by wingedknightzero. This is a Sly x OC pairing and it's absolutely brilliant! I just read it and I fell in love with it. It's centered mostly in Sly 3: Band of Thieves, but it's very well written and I feel it deserves more reviews than it has! Please, go check it out and leave a review for this author! It's an awesome story :D

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 11: **_Razor of DOOM, . , BananaB0mb, Carmen Veiga, Papercut, Me Gaara 4ever, OceanFlower, Shannyrox101, Boona, Silver, GraNNIeShuffelz03, Sea Stars _and _Music Angel_

_Razor of DOOM: _Haha I have to say, I enjoy the new improvements to Jenna as well ;D I kinda look at her like Peter Parker from Spiderman – "With great power comes great responsibility" haha, only kidding :D Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy the next chapter!

_. : _I'm glad you love it so far and don't worry you'll find out in this chapter ;) Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy the next chapter as well!

_BananaB0mb: _Haha yeahhh, it was a fast update (scratches back of head sheepishly) lol. And dohhhh thanks :D It was a fun chapter to write and after making Bentley so suspicious of her in the beginning I couldn't make them fight all over again on top of Jenna and Sly fighting…it's just too much and I think my readers would hate me only a little haha xD And no worries, I don't mind rambling reviews :D Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_Carmen Veiga:_ LMFAO! The first sentence just had me dying! Literally :D I love it! And thank you! I actually don't like following plot lines word for word because after a while I know I get bored of it. I sit there at my computer and scroll passed dialogue because it's a part of a screenplay that I'm already acquainted with so changing it up is what I like to do best ;D And ahaha, yes, Jenna is slowly becoming more and more badass ;) I really wanted to capture her in a different light that would undoubtedly scare the living bejesus out of Neyla while at the same time beginning to draw in her more assassin-like personality :D And don't worry I love the ramble! Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Papercut: _Haha she's not being paid though. She did it more to save her own hide with Sam because he was on to her about her own double agenda within Interpol. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Me Gaara 4ever: _Aw thanks! I'm glad you love it and for you an update ;D Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_OceanFlower: _Aw thanks haha, I'm really happy it was enjoyable :D And don't worry you don't have to wait too long my friend ;D Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Shannyrox101: _I'll just answer all three of your reviews here lol :) Haha I love the first line, I stared at the review for a good five minutes before I realized what you meant xD and LOL for you an update is here – no worries! Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Boona: _Haha! I'm so glad I keep you on your toes. I like being unpredictable with my writing :) it makes it all the more interesting for you as readers and I know when I read stories I like to be surprised lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_Silver:_ Haha worry no longer – an update here for you! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

_GraNNIeShuffelz03: _I love you. That's all roomie…I just love you lol. And I actually didn't know that…why didn't you tell me that sooner – that's cool! Lol. Thanks for the review chica and hope you enjoy the next chapter ;)

_Sea Stars: _Oh my goodness! Don't die! I have the chapter right here see! LOL anyway thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Music Angel: _Oh I'm so glad to hear you loved it :D Don't worry they are reunited in this chapter ;) Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

WHEW lotsa reviews! I LOVE IT FOLKS! Haha sorry running on sugar here and it's extremely late :P The things I do for you all xoxo

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
12_

_Time_.

Time can be a gift or a curse; a seemingly acquiescent passage of time or a cantankerous loss of that passing itself. Sly had been stuck in a suspended animation of the latter - he couldn't discern the passing of time anymore since the day he and Murray had been brought to Contessa's rehabilitation center. The aching of his body reminded him that time was passing far slower than he would like; his muscles stiff and cramped unpleasantly and his head pounding in time with his beating heart. On many occasions throughout the length of his stay he had been forced to come face to face with Sam; the cocky and smug wolf taking pleasure in berating and belittling him both mentally and physically and Sly was well spent and the sessions with the arachnid only sweetened the deal all the more. Upon his entry into the small cell he currently occupied, the wolf had thrown a half-full stick of chalk his cruel laughter echoing throughout his pounding head and forcing the raccoon to wince from behind his closed eyes. He worried for Murray and he missed Bentley something fierce. Sure he had been placed in the slammer before, but this time was much different. This time he knew that without Murray, Bentley was going to have a harder time – in fact, he didn't even know if his friend made it out of the jungle! With this thought currently in mind the raccoon heaved a heavy sigh, wincing as his torso groaned in protest and he coughed at the squeezing in his chest.

_The Hole_ wasn't exactly the most hygienic place in the entire world – rather the musty smell of the earth around him as well as the vague odor of what he assumed had been the remains of other inmates who had shared his fate, nearly made him nauseous and despite the guards bringing him a stale piece of bread and a small cup of water throughout the day, the raccoon couldn't find the stomach enough to eat it – especially since he was skeptical about the food in the first place.

Throughout his stay he had managed to draw on the wall if only to keep his mind off of the impending sessions he spent silent as the grave with Jenna's brother. Sam, the raccoon now realized, had something more personal to gain from abusing the raccoon and Sly knew that, if anything, it was to get back at the younger wolf. He had mentioned on a few occasions that Jenna had been the one to betray them and that he shouldn't defend her, but Sly did anyway. Deep down the raccoon knew that Jenna was far too in touch with her canine side to simply betray the gang, especially after what she had said to Bentley back in India. She was too loyal to those she considered her friends to betray them. While the raccoon had come to terms with this, the part of him that was still hurt by her statements told him that she deserved for him to hate her, but even then, he couldn't find it in himself to do so.

He was torn. As his mind fabricated images of Carmelita, he couldn't help but create an image of Jenna as well. His heart was aching with the choice he was presented with and while he loved the vixen he had long since come to terms that the only relationship he would ever have with her was the clichéd _Cops and Robbers_ screenplay; where, with Jenna, he was more free to do as he pleased – he could continue to do as he was meant to do and he wouldn't have to hide behind a mask. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he removed his father's hat from his head. His heart jerked when he saw both women and he enjoyed the other's company, but there was still the uncertain line of _like_ versus _love_. With an aggravated sigh he looked up to the small door that opened to the outside world. On the door was a small window that allowed light to pass through and even from the small rectangular window above him he could see the wall outside of his cell as well as the guards that walked along the wall. Deciding to peer outside he stood on the bench in the small cubical and peered into the outside world.

The fresh air was welcomed and he took the time to glance around. For the duration of his captivity he had been trying to find a way out if only to save Murray and find Bentley and to track down Jenna and talk to her, but the security around his imprisonment was the highest he had seen in a long time. With a sigh of defeat he flopped down on the bench, groaning at the reminder his pained body sent him for the movement and he sighed. His mind had begun to wander once more and the thought of his future came to question. Was he going to remain in the small four by four cell in the ground for the rest of his life? Being only twenty years old the raccoon hoped that wasn't the case – he certainly had much longer to live, after all, he had a lot of things that needed to be put to rest before he even thought about retirement or sitting behind prison walls twenty-five to life. Just as he made up his mind he heard the sound of bombs being dropped and the cries of guards and Sly's attention was immediately back to the small window above his bench. Standing quickly, ignoring his body's protesting to the quick movement he noticed guards beginning to scatter, many of them falling victim to the bombs being dropped around the outer wall and he couldn't help the large smile that suddenly pulled at his lips, however, it was short lived when he heard the lock on his cell door being tampered with, his brows pinching tightly. Deciding to check out what the disturbance was – because if it was Sam it would have been opened by now – and he soon noticed the face of his seeming betrayer.

"What're _you_ doing here?"

Jenna snorted as she fumbled with the lock, her eyes focused on the task at hand before flicking her eyes briefly to him, "Busting out you, what does it look like?"

Sly found he didn't have a retort, his tawny eyes taking the brief moment to study his savior. Jenna had changed in the short amount of time she had been away. He couldn't place his finger on it, but there was a sudden edginess to her – a "rough around the edges" kind of feel to her persona that threw the raccoon off slightly. Her physical appearance had come as a short surprise to him, but her demeanor was almost darker and he suddenly noticed how fidgety she looked, her eyes split between focusing on unlocking his cell door and glancing around her surroundings. "Where's Bentley?"

"Bombing the wall to keep the guards busy," Jenna answered tensely as her face moved closer to the lock. "I ran into him on his way back to the safe house…he almost got carted off by one of Contessa's guards."

Sly absorbed this for a few moments, his eyes then catching a dark figure behind the wolf and his eyes widened, "Uh Jenna?" The wolf's eyes snapped to his as he gestured to the other figure standing behind the outer fence of his area and a curse slid passed her lips as her ears turned to the sound of the other gate unlocking. With a cry of success, Jenna managed to undo the lock just as the other figure came barreling into the area nearly slamming into the cell door. Sly knew it was his only chance to move and as he pushed the door opened he could see Jenna bobbing and weaving with finesse only a dancer could possess as she dodged her older brother, the entire time the wolf shouting obscenities at her. Her eyes were focused, a perfect mix of brown and green as her temper was level, a determination and confidence etched into her soft features and Sly looked around for his escape. The raccoon's eyes were drawn to the fighting wolves when there was a loud yelp heard and he noticed that Jenna was just landing from a well executed back flip, her brother leaning heavily on the fence that surrounded his cell.

"What're you waiting for?" His eyes were drawn to Jenna who was glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes, but he knew it wasn't out of anger as he could detect the deep-seeded concern, "Get onto the train and get out of here!" She grunted as she was thrown off of her feet by a wild punch to her jaw, though she rolled with the blow and swung violently with a back fist, clipping her brother in his snout and earning a loud howl.

Sly took notice of the train sticking out of the wall and decided it was best to question it later – assuming it to be Bentley's doing and doing as the wolf demanded. Making quick work of scaling the side of the train before stopping and turning back to her; he didn't know whether to take the opportunity and get away or stay and help her, but after a small internal battle he figured he wouldn't get another chance like this. Heeding her this time around he slipped passed the outer wall and noticed a pipe off to the side. Using the skills and dexterity only a thief of his caliber could exercise he made fast work of making it through the town, his eyes peering for anything that could resemble a safe house of Bentley's and it was then he remembered his binocucom. Fishing it out of his pocket he made sure he was in the clear before activating it and raising it to his eyes if only to make sure Jenna was being truthful about running into Bentley: the result was immediate.

"_Sly can you read me_?"

The raccoon sighed in relief, "How I've missed that sensuous voice of yours!"

"_Save the jocular comments for later. I've already established a safe house and downloaded its GPS coordinates into your binocucom. We'll rendezvous there_."

"Wow, you've really thought of everything…"

"_Don't I always_?"

"Yeah, you do." Sly smiled to himself fondly, acutely aware that the turtle could not see this gesture, "Thanks for busting me out."

"_Ah well, you know the old saying: _If you can't count on a friend to busy you out of jail, what kind of friend are they?" Despite not being able to see his friend, Sly knew the turtle had shrugged.

"Truer words were never said, Wizard."

"_Oh, before you go Sly, is Jenna with you_?"

"No," Sly frowned. "Sam came out of no where and she stayed behind to take care of him I guess."

"_Just what I was afraid of…hopefully she'll be okay_."

"Yeah…" Sly frowned softly, his mind conflicting with itself once more before he sighed. "I'll be back at the safe house in a few minutes."

Bentley didn't reply and the raccoon check for the location of the safe house, following the GPS signal that the turtle had projected for him. He entered the safe house just as the skies opened up and the water that the clouds had been holding onto came falling to the ground in a heavy torrent. Looking out into the rain a sudden concern began to gnaw at his heart and with a heavy sigh he pressed a hand to his aching chest before sauntering into the safe house sullenly and turning to see Bentley standing there, simply watching him. It took a few minutes before the turtle offered his friend a weak smile before the raccoon's resolve to remain tough broke down and he latched onto the reptile as if he was the only thing anchoring him to the ground.

Bentley was at a loss of words. Sly, while normally affectionate, was not usually so openly emotional with him or Murray…as far as hugging went, but the turtle did not refuse the hug. He was just as happy to see Sly as Sly was to see him, after all. After a few moments the two broke apart, coughing uncomfortably before laughing at the other as they realized how incredibly stupid they seemed, "It's good to have you back pal."

"It's good to be back," Sly agreed before falling into a chair. Bentley noticed that the raccoon had lost a significant amount of weight in the last week and few days and he could definitely make out the abuse that his friend had taken as well. Frowning and without any questions asked, Bentley set to work – as he normally did – in checking up on the raccoon to make sure he hadn't broken anything. Sly allowed him to do as he needed to, trusting his friend with all of his heart. The small check up seemed to last forever before Bentley moved away from him and gave him a nod as if to say "you're fine" before moving back to the work he had been doing before.

"You may want to at least wash off that prison smell Sly…you smell terrible."

"I do not!" The raccoon blanched slightly at the look his friend shot him before heaving a heavy sigh and trudging his way to the bathroom, all the while muttering under his breath. No sooner had Sly made his way up the stairs the safe house door opened to reveal a sopping wet Jenna and she shivered, peeling off her jacket slowly as if not to anger any of the wounds she had sustained.

Bentley watched her carefully, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," The wolf sighed softly, catching the towel that Bentley tossed at her and she set about drying herself off as much as she could without having to change. "I managed to throw him off…minimal damage – maybe a bruise or two, but nothing that's worth looking over." Bentley nodded before noticing the Cooper cane still strapped to her back. Jenna noticed his eyes and she sighed softly, "I got distracted and didn't have enough time to give him his cane back."

"Well he's upstairs now in the shower, so get cleaned up as much as you can." The turtle suggested calmly though the twinge of concern laden in his words told the wolf that he wasn't upset with her, "I'm going to crunch more data to find Murray –"

"No you're not," Jenna intruded as she placed her hands on her hips, her brow arching in challenge. "You're going upstairs and getting sleep mister. You've been going nonstop for a week, you even admitted that much to me…go upstairs and get some rest."

"But Jenna!"

"No _buts_ Bentley, you're getting rest and that's final!"

Sly blinked as he reentered the main living area of the old house they were using (why they had running water he wasn't sure, but at the present moment he wasn't complaining) to see his friend and the wolf locked in a stare-off. The turtle looked perturbed and the wolf stood with her arms crossed over her chest in a more stand-offish style that left the raccoon wondering what happened. Drying his hair with the towel he quirked a brow at the scene, noticing a familiar object across the wolf's back. "Am I interrupting something?" He only blinked again when both eyes turned to him almost in surprise and he sighed, resting the towel over his shoulder.

"She's not letting me find Murray!"

"I didn't say that Bentley," Jenna sighed, pinching the fur between her eyes in exasperation. "I told you to go to bed. You're not going to get anything done if you're tired."

"I'm _fine_!"

"Okay, what would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis?" Sly's brows immediately shot up at the question as he hadn't understood a word of what she had just said and while he knew it to be "Bentley talk" he could see the utter look of both confusion and concentration on the turtle's face. After a few moments of silence, the wolf quirked her brow with a smug smirk twitching at her lips, "Give up?"

"I'm _thinking_ Jenna!"

The wolf deadpanned, "It's not a hard question Bentley, especially for your caliber." The turtle glared at her before a look of defeat crossed his features.

"I give."

"You'd be screwed, now upstairs." Sly quirked a brow in amusement as the wolf ushered the turtle up the stairs. While he knew that Bentley was much older than Jenna, it still humored him that the wolf became so motherly when it came to the turtle's well being. His mind paused on this thought as he pulled a sweater over his head as a chill racked his body unpleasantly. Now that he actually thought about it, Jenna had done that with himself and Murray as well! As another chill ran through his body he turned his mission to searching for a thermostat or a heater. After a few moments he heard Jenna's light footsteps before he felt a small tap to his shoulder. Glancing down at her he could see that she was sporting a rather nice shiner underneath her fur, the light patches of fur around her eyes from her natural mask allowing him to see any discoloration underneath her fur – as well as the tension in her shoulders and the obvious awkwardness in her stance. Clearing her throat she sighed, removing the familiar tool off of her back and holding it in front of her gingerly, "This belongs to you."

Sly took the tool from Jenna's outstretched hand and removed the dark cloth covering the hook of his cane and he gazed at it fondly before his tawny eyes turned to her once more to see that she was no longer standing in front of her, but loading wood into a small fireplace in the back wall. He watched her as she built up the logs in a small tent-like shape before striking a match and tossing it onto the paper she had stuffed on the inside of it, her eyes watching as it lit before moving to the other side of the room and grabbing a few blankets that the raccoon had not noticed until that moment. _She must have brought them down when she went upstairs_, the raccoon thought to himself before accepting the thick blanket handed to him before following her as she set herself up in front of the fire.

It was silent for a few moments, the raccoon's thoughts buzzing from when they were arrested in India to that moment. Everything that they told him had been about Jenna betraying them; that it was Jenna's fault they were found, that it was Jenna's fault they were captured, that it was Jenna's fault that he and Murray had been separated, that it was Jenna's fault that he was forced into sessions with the Contessa and _Sam_. The raccoon shuddered at the thought of the last statement, but his thoughts remained. A large part of him believed that it really was the wolf's fault for all of their seeming misfortune, but the small part of him that was his more rational mind had quickly quelled the beast of his suspicion and doubt. He had seen the way that Bentley had openly seemed to welcome her back, it wasn't as if he had pumped her full of sleep darts and threw her to the dogs…figuratively speaking.

Glancing up at the wolf he noticed she was still in her thieving attire, with the exception of the dark hooded sweatshirt she now wore and she had obviously patched herself up as he could make out the small bandage from under her bangs and the wrap on her left wrist, her dominant hand he had vaguely remembered, from watching her handle certain objects. Shaking the thought of her differences his mind was immediately brought back to his distrust and he couldn't help the bubble that escaped his lips, "Why'd you do it?"

Jenna's ears swirled to his direction before flattening slightly, her expression becoming slightly defensive, but otherwise remaining soft. "Do what?"

"Betray us?"

"I never betrayed you Sly…any of you?"

"Really?" The raccoon couldn't help the spitefulness that slipped into his tone, "Then how were we found out?"

With a deep sigh the wolf glanced at him, fighting to keep her expression neutral as to not say something or express something that would inevitably ruin her relationship with the raccoon completely. "While you guys were on the heist –"

"A real answer Jenna, and not an elaborate story."

The wolf shot him an annoyed look, "I'm trying to tell you what happened. Can you listen for more than five minutes before snapping at me?"

"You didn't seem to have too much trouble doing it back in India."

"Sly that's in the past and I'm not discussing it."

"Why not?" The raccoon challenged, his voice raising slightly. He could hear the sounds of Bentley moving about from upstairs, but his mind was being clouded by an angry fog. Everything they had been forcing into his head the last week was beginning to come to surface and was rearing its ugly head, "I think it has everything to do with the situation we currently find ourselves in."

"Sly, that's different!" Jenna scowled, "You asked me about your capture in India, not about what happened before the heist."

"Why else would you betray us Jenna? It's a logical deduction and don't tell me it isn't." Jenna was speechless for a few moments before glaring at him so hurtfully it made the raccoon recoil visibly as a pang hit his chest violently. Without a word the wolf stood, folding up her blanket and placing it on the table, grabbing her leather jacket off of the coat hanger, despite it still being slightly damp, and shrugging it onto her shoulders. Sly was immediately on his feet as his mind attempted to backtrack, the blanket that had been wrapped around his own shoulders falling to the floor and he politely ignored his stiff muscles. "Where are you going?"

"I wouldn't want to impose on your hospitality." The wolf remarked spitefully, her eyes hidden by her closed lids as she attempted not to look at him, "After all, I wouldn't want to hinder you or your trust." Sly stared at her aghast, "Oh and tell Bentley that I said goodbye."

Before he could stop her she had walked out of the safe house and back into the pouring rain. It took a few minutes for Sly's mind to register what had happened before he raced to the door to see her figure disappearing down the street, her hood pulled over her head in an attempt to keep her dry. Without a thought to his own health he ran out into the rain and down the street where he had last seen Jenna's figure only to come to a sudden stop at an intersection. Jenna was no where in sight. He glanced at each way in hopes that she would reappear, only for his heart to sink as the wolf was nowhere in sight. Upon his return to the safe house he had to dodge as the turtle threw a blanket at his head. The raccoon scooped up the blanket off of the floor and frowned up at his friend who, despite his glasses hiding his eyes, was shooting him an annoyed glare.

"Sly she didn't betray us!"

"What do you mean?" The raccoon questioned, his brows pinching as guilt began to gnaw at his insides, his heart specifically. Bentley only frowned.

"Wouldn't you think that if she had betrayed us I would have let her back into the safe house or even helped me rescue you!" Sly's ears began to fall, "Don't you think I wouldn't be so friendly to someone who actually betrayed us? Sly, Sam had that whole thing set up to put us against each other!"

"But Neyla had been the one to tell me, not Sam."

"Neyla betrayed us Sly," The turtle sighed in exasperation. "_Neyla_ had been helping us out with the odd-jobs and especially since she and Jenna had been a little close! She's the one who showed you the secret passage to the half of the Clockwerk Heart, she helped us in the ballroom while knowing why we were there, _she helped us get into Dimitry's nightclub back in Paris_ and she's the one that told Jenna who she was. Sly, don't you see the obvious pattern here?" When Sly didn't comment or give any indication that he was following the turtle sighed deeply. "I didn't believe Jenna at all, in fact, I thought the exact same as you," He admitted slowly, "But when I went to spy on the Contessa, Sam was with her and I heard _everything_. They're trying to put you two against each other so that you can be used against the other if one of you is captured."

"You mean…"

"_Yes_!" Bentley heaved a large and desperate sigh as realization suddenly dawned on the raccoon, "She interrogated Neyla to find out where you and Murray were being held and that's why she even made it here! She knew that I wouldn't openly accept her back, so she was going to initially break you two out and meet back up with me to prove that she was innocent. Her cousins filled her in on everything and remember how she had to go back to the states?" Sly nodded slowly, his expression falling the more and more Bentley spoke, "Sam had it set up that her father would be killed – he knew that she would go home and separate from us if it happened. He was working with Neyla the entire time! He wants Jenna out of the picture and now that she's associated with us he's coming after us instead since he knows Jenna cares about us!"

"How'd you find all of this out?"

"Jenna told me some of it, but I learned the rest from hearing it from Sam's mouth," The turtle frowned. "Sly, he's trying to officially get rid of Jenna."

The turtle watched his friend's expression and while there was a large amount of guilt there, there was still a stubborn streak that ran across his face as if what the reptile was telling him was all a set up to get to him and the gang. "What does it matter…she's gone."

"Oh for Pete's sake, Sly!" Bentley cried in exasperation, "She left because she likes you!"

All the wheels in Sly's head stopped and his eyes raised to meet his friend's gaze, his brows furrowing tightly.

"She _likes_ you Sly, so to make you happy she left. Gadsooks!"

As the turtle moved to his binocucom station, Sly was rooted in his spot. His mind had completely come to a standstill and he wasn't sure how to react to the news. A part of him was suddenly ecstatic, but the other part of him knew that this would only make things more difficult between the small love triangle that had formed. Running a hand over his face in exasperation he turned his attention to Bentley to see him trying to pinpoint the wolf's binocucom and a few seconds later the screen came to life and the turtle motioned him over quickly.

~_Meanwhile_~

Cursing to herself for her own stupidity, Jenna tugged the hood of her sweatshirt over her head tighter in order to conceal her appearance from wandering eyes. It was still relatively late at night and so the Contessa's guards were crawling the streets in their usual patrols. Her thoughts swarmed with the events back in the safe house and leaning into a building the wolf looked up into the falling skies above. She vaguely thought about how the weather was reflecting herself and she slid to the ground in a squatted position, adjusting herself so that her knees were drawn up into her chest. Jenna knew not to let her guard down while out in the open, but the crushing weight on her heart had quite literally sapped the strength from her body. Walking away had been the hardest thing she had done in a while.

After watching the rain hit the small puddle in front of her for a few more moments she quickly came to the conclusion that if Sly didn't believe her, she would just have to prove it to him. She would have to prove her innocence and she would! Standing with a newfound strength she looked up at the prison walls to the Contessa's rehabilitation center and with caliber she had not been aware of her possessing she made quick work of climbing her way up the wall using a series of wires and pipes. Checking her side for her weapons as a precaution she nodded to herself, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her bear-claws before scaling the side of the wall as carefully and quietly as she could. Making it to the top ledge she allowed a flashlight guard to pass before pulling herself up and looking around quickly, seeing that there was no one watching her, she removed the bamboo tool from her belt and loaded a few of her darts (removing the small rubber balls on their tips). After gathering her feet underneath her she made quick work of moving throughout the inner wall of the prison.

The wolf had to give it to the arachnid, security was definitely tight. Shaking the thoughts of the possible negative outcomes, Jenna decided on listening to guards in hopes of locating Murray. Just because she was at odds with the raccoon did not mean she was going to leave her friend to a fate that involved both the Contessa and her brother, especially her brother. Ducking behind a carriage she noticed her brother stalking into a cell block, glancing briefly at the letter outside of it she frowned. "Cell block B, what could be in there?" Deciding that her brother was the best person to follow she snuck her way to the door and knocked, moving out of the way of the sliding glass window as the guard behind the door peered outside. Seeing no one, the guard closed the window and Jenna knocked again, her heart beating wildly in her chest. This time the guard opened the door and she carefully slipped through the door behind him, allowing him to return to his post before shooting him with her sleep dart. Taking a brief moment to check his pulse and satisfied that he was still breathing she readied her blowgun in front of her and ready to use quickly. She crept along the walls, the rancid air hitting her sensitive nose and almost making her recoil, but her mind was focused on her brother and where they were keeping Murray.

Tucking her blowgun back into her belt she looked at the ceiling to see that it was almost gothic in appearance, rafters running along the length of the roof and perfect for hiding in. Making note of this briefly she moved through the winding hallways, catching her brother's tail disappearing behind another corner and after a few minutes she moved, making sure to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible as she trotted to end of the hallway, leaning against the wall and peering around the corner to make sure it was clear before moving to the opposite side of the wall in the next hallway. She soon found herself in a room that held an open concept, her brother moving forward into the room and stopping at a computer, his eyes narrowed in focus. Sucking in a deep breath of air to steel her nerves she slipped her hands into her bear-claws before beginning the short climb to the rafter above her head, heaving herself onto the beam and moving as carefully as she possibly could to the next rafter. She continued this until she was just behind her brother, fishing her binocucom out of one of the many pockets in her harem pants she zoomed in on her brother before glancing at the computer screen he was looking at.

"Is it done?"

"_We have completed the hit as requested…You, however, failed to mention that one of our own would be killed._" A voice answered back. Jenna couldn't place the voice, as it was one she had never heard of before, her eyes furrowing underneath her bangs and over the lenses of the binocucom.

Sam scoffed lightly, "It was never a part of the original agreement. I told you to take out the old wolf, the fact that your partner was sloppy is not on my conscious."

"_And killing your own father isn't?_"

Sam scoffed louder this time, a snort pushing passed his nostrils, "It was a necessary evil. That bastard had it coming."

"_You underestimate those of our clan it seems_," The voice answered and after getting a good look at the screen Jenna was easily able to deduce that this was one of her blood relatives. Her brow furrowed tighter as his voice seemed to darken almost knowingly, "_You forget that that girl is the daughter of my younger brother – she will be just as vicious especially since she's a cross-breed between two clans. The Sumanitu-taka are a dangerous clan…their abilities rival that of our own. Do you really think that she will not get revenge when she finds out what you've done?_"

"Do not lecture me," Sam growled his eyes narrowing on the screen. "You were only hired to do as asked, not give me advice. Now, how do I get rid of her?"

The male on the other side sighed finally, his eyes narrowing on her brother's form. "_I would watch yourself, boy. Remember who it is you work for and for what price._" The wolf on the screen reprimanded him coldly and Jenna shivered. For a split second she actually felt bad, but remembering what he had done hardened her obvious dislike. "_Your step-sister is the spawning of two very powerful clans in the world of assassins and the less-liked of society. The Sumanitu-taka are a group of wolves that dwell in North Dakota and are of Lakota decent…Indians…redskins, whatever you'd like to call them. They specialize in using their surroundings as their best camouflage and are exceptional when it comes to moving with the elements…The Auteri, as I'm sure you've read up on thanks to our legitimate sources, are more abrupt in their assassinations and generally fall upon their prey quickly. Your half sister already has the undoubted speed of the Auteri, based off of what you've told me. Even with no proper training she is already powerful – she takes very much after her father…Vincent always was the child-prodigy, why should his child be any different?_" She vaguely noticed Sam begin to pace before the computer as he listened intently, "_Her mother, Delia Sumanitu-taka is a very skilled healer and tracker…I'm sure you've already noticed that your little mutt is able to pick up on things exceptionally fast…especially visual cues._"

"You still have not answered my question Dominic."

"_Based off of what I have already told you I have already given you your answer._"

The black wolf glared headedly at the monitor before growling, "Just you wait, I'll destroy her…if it's the last thing I do."

"_Good, just remember – keep the Cooper kid alive…we need him for something else and that is not to be of your interference, do you understand_?"

Sam nodded, "Understood."

"_Good, now if I was you – I would direct your attention skywards, it appears as if you have an unwanted pest problem._" The other wolf commented airily before the screen went blank.

Sam's attention was immediately on the rafters and Jenna gasped as a gun was fired. Gathering her courage and steeling her nerves once more she chanced a look to see that the gun he carried was a standard six-shooter and she counted down in her head before pushing herself up on the rafter and moving along them quickly, no longer caring for how much noise she was making as she made for her escape. After falling to the ground after the second shot was fired, Jenna immediately took to using the winding and twisting hallways to her advantage as she made fast work of finding her way out. Another shot rang out as she dodged behind another corner and she mentally checked that off as the third shot. There were only three chances left for the older wolf to hit her and three chances for her to make it out alive.

Her breaths began to become labored and her muscles were beginning to scream at her in protest, but Jenna knew that now was not the time for her to fall fatigued and with hardened eyes she pushed out a quick exhale forcefully before continuing to breathe. All of her gymnastics and martial arts training were going to be needed in this very moment and she began to run over the training her father had given her about running almost three years ago. A yelp escaped her lips as another shot just missed her head and she suddenly thanked whatever deity was watching over her that her brother was apparently not the best shot in the world. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon –!" She grunted to herself to keep her going as quickly as possible as she noticed a door up ahead of her and she pushed herself towards that door. Skidding to a stop she pulled the handle only for it not to budge. Cursing loudly in her frustration and her exhaustion she quickly doubled back down the hallway she had just come from, noticing her brother quickly closing in before glancing around his large figure. With a fast calculation she pushed off of her hind legs as another shot rang throughout the hallway and she twisted in a log-roll type of fashion while in mid-air, keeping her legs close together and her arms tucked into her body as she passed over her brother's head, unhooking her blowgun along with the movement she brought the bamboo down solidly in a downward strike to the back of her brother's head, successfully causing him to stumble as he attempted to stop his forward momentum in order to double back and catch her.

Landing with only the grace of a gymnast, she looked behind her briefly before picking back up on her vigorous sprint. She knew she wouldn't be able to outlast her brother much longer and decided that instead of just aimlessly running around in circles that she would get the information she wanted from him. She was a little more than curious about his obvious dislike of her and while Melissa and Tauwn had given her a probable motive, she wanted to hear it directly from the horse's mouth…so to speak. Coming to another hallway, as one she recognized she loaded the small dart gun that she had stashed in her combat boot before venturing out of the safe house and she was suddenly thankful for it. She narrowed her eyes as she waited for her brother, her posture heaving as she leveled her left arm out for a good mark if she was forced to shoot. She knew that there was only sleeping serum loaded into these particular darts, but the feeling of shooting at someone was not one she would have liked to familiarize herself with. As her brother rounded the corner he came to an abrupt stop when he noticed her deeply breathing form, a gun fixing to his chest and the wolf growled menacingly at her.

"You already know why I'm here Sam," The younger wolf commented, her other hand moving to her side as a habit and unknowingly she activated her binocucom's feed – one that hooked directly into Bentley's binocucom station back at the safe house. "I already heard your conversation with that wolf…why do you want to get rid of me so badly?" Jenna figured it would be smart to leave out the fact she knew who that man was as well as get right on with her point…there was no reason to beat around the bush when someone had a gun that could cause bodily harm while you were using a potentially harmless weapon.

Sam panted, his eyes narrowed and his own firearm level at her chest. "Do you know what it's like growing up with a _prodigy_?"

Jenna's brow pinched, "Prodigy? I would hope you're not talking about me," When Sam snarled at her she sighed. "Look I have no idea what, in the seven circles of hell, you're talking about Sam. I've grown up just like any normal kid…aside from the abuse on your end and the flashing of military lifestyle from dad, but I digress."

"Shut up." Jenna's mouth sealed as she waited for her brother to continue, "All they ever spoke about was _you_, how amazing you'd be and how smart you'd be…all they ever talked about was you." Sam snarled, his breathing beginning to regulate back to a normal pulse and he noticed Jenna's was as well, "After dad married that _whore_ that you spawned from I was completely forgotten about – instead, all they did was flaunt over you…it was _disgusting_!"

"Why didn't you ever try and _talk _to me?" Jenna frowned, her arm lowering slightly as she began to sympathize with what her brother was saying. He had done all the wrong to her because of the fact he was jealous… "Look I can't make up for the things that mom and dad ever did," She began slowly, taking a tentative step forward only to stop as her brother tightened the hold on his gun. "No one can take away that pain from you, I get that, but don't you think that I deserved a chance? Don't you think that things would have been different between all of us if you hadn't…rebelled?"

"Don't twist this around you little bitch."

Jenna frowned, lowering her weapon completely as she stood straighter. "Sam, let me help you…you shouldn't be involved with some clan boss anyway – you're a law enforcer and you're supposed to protect that law." Seeing the slight flicker in her brother's eyes she pressed on, "Look...Sam…I never wanted us to fight. I never wanted us to be driven so far apart because of something that I am that I didn't know about. I was a kid and…still am." Her head hung suddenly, but she kept a tentative eye on her brother.

"The day I ask for your help is the day there will be a tag on my toe in the morgue."

A sad frown etched across her face and she sighed. "Fine, then before you kill me at least tell me why you killed dad…why you made it seem like I betrayed the Cooper gang?"

Sam was silent for a few moments before answering, a twisted smile replacing the small smolder of doubt that had seemed to flicker in his eyes only a few moments before. "Your mother would have been the first to go if she hadn't left to be back with that stupid pack of hers in North Dakota – _fucking coward_ if you ask me," He smirked when Jenna bristled slightly, but her head did not move from its bowed position. "But Dad's death was all part of the plan…did you know he was an informant for both the Sumanitu-taka and the Auteri and only agreed to legally marry that bitch because it would save you from being wiped out with the rest of the Auteri clan? That's right little Jenny, Clockwerk managed to convince Dominic and Christian to wipe out the entire family…why you ask?" Sam smirked, "Because the Auteri were encroaching on his territory. They were becoming incredibly powerful and guess who the next hit was?"

Jenna's head raised as she eyed her brother questionably, "…Clockwerk?"

"Bingo!" Sam grinned suddenly, "Turned out that little rat's father had placed a hit out on Clockwerk in hopes it would save his own pathetic family…and to think, you're completely in love with the one guy that was the cause of your own father's demise."

"You shut your mouth," Jenna snarled suddenly. "Don't twist this to try and manipulate me into hating Sly or the rest of the gang for something that was of no fault to him."

Sam laughed loudly and Jenna almost cringed at the condescending timber it had taken, "Oh-ho! I'm so sowwy, is wittle Jenny mad at me?" He smirked when he received a growl, "Anyway, didn't mom and dad teach you it was rude to interrupt others when they're talking? Now where was I?" Pausing slightly to recollect where he had been he smirked, tapping the barrel of the gun against his temple, "Oh that's right. Dad's death was to lead you off course and away from the Cooper gang so that I could take them out – but it turned out that Neyla did that bit for me. Since you weren't there it was most opportune to use you as our scapegoat. The Contessa is an easy woman to manipulate when you figure out what she wants you know," He smirked. "She wants riches, so what better way to get the Cooper fortune than to put you and that rat against each other?"

Jenna was at a loss of words. While she knew what had happed thanks to Neyla, hearing it directly from her brother was like getting hit in the stomach by a professional wrestler: crippling.

"We torture him a bit both mentally and physically and we get him to tell us about your whereabouts…since that didn't work we decided a new approach," Sam growled at the last bit and Jenna had to hide a small smirk, "We decided that if we caught you, we could use you against Cooper to reveal the hold of the fortune in exchange of your life…again, not according to plan since you helped him escape."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Jenna bit sarcastically, her hand itching slowly to her dart gun in her belt. "Such a shame when the mighty fall is it not?"

"Oh yes," Sam agreed. "It's a shame you couldn't be my puppet any more…you're going to die here Jenny…you realize this yes?"

Jenna's brows furrowed as she wretched the gun from her belt and pointed it at him once more, "Then we go down together."

The black wolf only smirked wickedly at her, "Silly Rabbit, tricks are –"

"– for kids."

Another smirk pulled at the wolf's lips as his grip tightened. It was like time itself came to a stop the only sound in the hallway was their own breathing as each had sights on the other's chest. Jenna knew that her weapon wasn't fatal, but if she managed to time it right she could shoot her brother and make a run for it as he only had one more shot left in his six-shooter. Taking a deep breath she watched his trigger finger carefully before pulling the trigger on her gun, dodging quickly to the right and grunting as white hot pain enveloped her senses, but was soon overpowered by adrenaline as she ran through the door, slamming it behind her and not looking back to see what her results had been. Moving as quickly as she could, thanks to her adrenaline blocking out her pain for the time being, before having to make another run for it as Contessa's vulture guards began to swarm the area with wolves and bats that kept calling into their alarm horns. Cursing herself she raced to a nearby lamp post, climbing it thanks to the lessons Sly had given her back in Paris before making her way across the rooftops as quickly as possible and coming to the outer wall. Looking down she gulped as she noticed the drop to be significant before looking back over her shoulder. With wide eyes she noticed that her brother was leading the pack of guards to her location and looking between him and the drop in front of her she took the latter and threw herself from the prison walls, her arms waving in midair if only to slow her fall as she was quickly approaching the water below.

Taking a deep breath she pointed her feet as she hit the water, her body following after as the freezing water enveloped her. Pushing to where she thought the surface was she ignored the coldness of the water and kicked her feet in time with her hands. Gasping for air as she hit the surface she quickly swam her way over to the ledge underneath the bridge, grunting painfully as her side protested the movement before she managed to limp her way to the cart and fall into it. Gathering herself up into as tight a ball as possible she shivered, her arms crossing over her chest, her gloved hand holding her wounded side and her knees tucking into her chest, her tail falling over her feet as she tried to regain her warmth. As her adrenaline died off slowly, pain began to spread from her side and across her stomach. It almost felt as if every fiber of her being was on fire and she choked on a sob, tears openly streaming down her face.

Shuddering from both the cold and her sudden desperation to cry she hugged herself tighter if only to quiet her sobs so that it wouldn't alert passing guards. She shivered again as the cold rain brushed passed her, the wind beating against her broken form and leaving her with a chill that would not cease. While curled in the cart she cried. She cried for her father, her mother, her family, her friends, the Cooper gang, her brother and lastly for herself. Every amount of emotional strain she had placed on herself suddenly bound open as if a never ending river held back by a dam. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried and each thought that passed her mind she couldn't help the sorry sob that passed her lips. Why was it, when everything would go so well for too long, it would always end in ruin? She didn't want to know the answer.

Jenna didn't know how long she laid in the small cart before she felt herself being lifted in her half-conscious state. It was as if fate was playing a cruel joke on her by keeping her awake in her seemingly last moments. Her side throbbed terribly and she could no longer discern whether it was her own life bleeding out between her gloved fingers or the rain that had continued to beat against her prone figure, however, the warmth that suddenly enveloped her was most welcome and she snuggled closer to it in an attempt to get warm – if only to take her pain away.

* * *

Okay, I know, I know you probably all hate me at the moment - but it's totally necessary to the story! There WILL be Jenna/Sly fluff in the next chapter! I PROMISE haha :)

I'll let you all be mad at me for a while lol - I should have chapter thirteen out within the next few days.

Remember - reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update ;) Thanks for reading!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	13. It's Like the Fog Has Lifted

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Okay, so I think it's fair to say that the end of that last chapter was not nice whatsoever…so I decided to double-time it and get this chapter done :D So as promised – this chapter as much more Jenna/Sly fluff. It's more of a filler, but I think it's fair to say that this was kinda overdue lol :D So with that said…let's move on to the stories you all NEED to read and my reviewers ;)

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

- **GO READ THIS STORY NOW:**_A Little Thieving Magic _by wingedknightzero. This is a Sly x OC pairing and it's absolutely brilliant! I just read it and I fell in love with it. It's centered mostly in Sly 3: Band of Thieves, but it's very well written and I feel it deserves more reviews than it has! Please, go check it out and leave a review for this author! It's an awesome story :D

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 12: **_Aryabloodlust, Razor of DOOM, OceanFlower, BananaB0mb, elanamlove, Papercut _and _Shannyrox101_

_Aryabloodlust: _Haha well thank you, that's good to know lol :D It makes me so happy to know that you're enjoying the story and that it's coming out as well as I see it in my head – well better based on you all as readers, but I digress lol. And yes, you're absolutely right…hurt comes before happiness, especially after a shot that Sly took from her :) Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

_Razor of DOOM: _I completely agree – I picture Bentley as being extremely calm until dealing with Sly…as we all know, the raccoon is rather thick haha. Thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_OceanFlower: _Haha I wouldn't say Sly's an idiot per-say, more like confused and just stubborn…at least, that's how I picture him to be. Granted there was definite attraction earlier in the story – but he's been forced to listen to Sam and Contessa stroke the hurt inside of him because of what Jenna said – I know if it was me, I would be a little upset too :P Anyway, thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :D

_BananaB0mb: _LMAO yeahhh, I can't help it – it's like I have to tease my readers in any way possible and what better way to do that than cliffhangers, postponed tension and attraction? Haha, anyway – yeah, Jenna does get hurt a lot…I really can't tell you why because I'm not too sure. I think it's just the way my mind works, but I do know that she gets hurt by Sam physically more often because she's extremely hesitant and nervous around him. It's kinda like how more submissive dogs are to their alphas…they trend very lightly and with caution – I try to do that here with Sam and Jenna. Don't worry lol, she gets a very well deserved break after this ;) Haha don't worry too much longer – there's plenty of fluff to go around :D Thanks again for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_boona: _Haha yes, she finally admits that she likes Sly :) I mean, how could she not ;D? Anyways, you're sure to find out lol! Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_elanamlove: _Haha I'm glad you love it :D And no worries, here is an update ;) Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Papercut: _L.M.F.A.O. that's all I can say. Your reviews always make me laugh :D Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Shannyrox101: _Haha I wouldn't ;) Thanks, and I'm sorry :( Initially that wasn't supposed to happen, but I can make it all better with a Band-Aid (flashes a Band-Aid with a grin). Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
13_

_It truly is funny how things tend to play out sometimes. You meet a guy on accident, hate his guts for a while and then slowly, over time, you begin to grown a particular fondness to them – I was no different to this clichéd love story, but that was before I felt my life flash before my very eyes. I could no longer tell who I was or where I was, what I am and that scared me. This whole thing felt like a movie, even the whole deal about the white light at the end of the tunnel. A part of me felt comfort in that light, but somewhere inside of me I knew that I wasn't ready._

Jenna's eyes fluttered open slowly and she frowned up at the blue sky above her as if it had been the one to wrong her before everything began to register. The last thing she remembered was jumping from the prison wall and into the freezing water below her and of course getting shot. How could she forget that? Blinking slowly she attempted to figure out where she was, pushing herself up so she was leaning on her elbows and glancing around her with furrowed brows. She found herself in a large open field, some long grass swaying in the breeze around her and dotted with light purple flowers – the green of the grass she sat on swayed in time with the much longer, brown grass that she soon recognized to be wheat. Trees were spread throughout the distance along with a large pale blue mountain range and the field just under the hill she seemed to sit on was dotted with many colored flowers. Sitting up she frowned before looking down at herself to see she was dressed in a sleeveless white sundress, the bodice hugging her torso and fanning out just above her hips and allowing the fabric to fall openly just under her knees. Ignoring the fact that she was in a dress she looked around before sighing, allowing herself to bask slightly in the silence of this beautiful place.

There was no bird song, but she could hear the wind whistling through the trees and the wheat she was surrounded by and it brought a great amount of comfort to her senses and for the first time in a while she was able to openly relax like a normal teenager. Standing to get a better look at the flowers at the bottom of the hill, she smiled – she couldn't help it! This had been one of the most peaceful places she had ever been in. She felt connected for some reason and for the first time she felt whole.

"I'm glad you seem to agree."

Jenna turned sharply to the new voice to see a wolf standing where she had been laying at the top of the hill. He was incredibly handsome and wore a gentle smile on his muzzle, his fur was a soft grey – much like her own – and his mask remained only around his eyes in small patches of a very light brown, almost blond in appearance, and the bottom half of his snout and lower lip before bleeding down the front of his neck and disappearing behind the collar of his Henley. The white Henley collar was tied off with a black tie that was tucked neatly into a grey vest that was buttoned to fit his stocky figure – his shoulders and chest broad as most wolves tended to express – and was untucked from his dark trousers. His white sleeves were rolled up to his elbows where she was able to make out the light tattooing on his left forearm and she followed his arms back up to his face where his eyes peered down at her – they were a soft hazel, very much like her own, with a light brown bleeding into the green around his pupil, his right ear pierced with a small silver hoop – she noticed briefly, but her attention was strictly on his eyes.

"You've grown up quite a lot Jenna."

Her trimmed brows arched over her eyes in confusion; her shoulders tense and her hands clenching and unclenching in anticipation. She wasn't sure if this was a friend or foe and she didn't want to take her chances, "Who are you?"

The other wolf offered her a smile in reply, "I suppose you wouldn't remember me…you were a baby the last I saw you." Slowly moving forwards he followed the small trail she had made in the grass before stopping just in front of her. He didn't make any motion to touch her and she appreciated the gesture – she was already tense enough as it was and she wasn't sure who this man was. "It would have confused you had Delia mentioned me and probably would have ruined whatever relationship you would have had with Lawrence as your father," He said this more to himself than the younger wolf, but returning his eyes back to the smaller girl he tilted his head to the side and smiled widely. "You know me better as Vincent Auteri, I believe."

For a moment Jenna only stared, "You're –?"

"Yes Jenna," Vincent smiled. "Don't worry you're not dead…yet."

"What do you mean?"

Vincent sighed slowly, running a large hand through his hair before holding a hand out to her. Jenna took it tentatively before allowing the older wolf, her father, to bring her back up to the top of the hill before seating himself in the grass and motioning that she do the same. "You were shot and your body is beginning to shut down on the outside world. You were brought here because this is where peace resides in your mind…"

"You mean…I created this place?"

"Yes," Vincent nodded. "In your subconscious lies a place where you escape to in order to skip out on reality for a while…your place is here and I am here because you have requested me to be."

Jenna frowned softly, "Is this what you really look like…I mean –?" She was interrupted by her father's laughter as he drew his knee closer to his body, resting his arm on that knee and staring out into the distance.

"Yes, this is how I looked while I was alive."

"So you really are dead then."

Vincent turned his hazel eyes to look at his daughter and sighed softly. Jenna's head was bowed, staring into her lap where her hands rested with her palms facing upwards and towards her face her legs drawn in and crossed underneath the skirt of her dress. "Sadly to report that, yes, I am very dead…but not completely." Jenna turned her head to her father, her brow quirked in questioning and Vincent turned his eyes back to the landscape before him. "I very much live on inside of you. Because you requested me to be here, this is where I reside until you no longer need me…and don't feel guilty. I came here on my own free will; I've been guiding you along."

"So you're the reason that I'm unconsciously aware of what to do in certain situations?"

"The basic ones," The male agreed. "You're very much like your mother you know."

Jenna blushed, thankful that her fur was dark enough to hide it, however, it darkened when her father laughed from next to her a knowing smirk crossing his lips. "You can't hide a blush from me little one, I do the same thing."

"So you were saying about how I'm…dying."

"Oh yes," Vincent recalled suddenly, his head tilting towards the warm sun and smiling slightly. "Your physical body is beginning to fade…it didn't help that you jumped into freezing water."

"So I'm going to die because of a bullet to the side?"

The older wolf quirked a brow at his daughter before shrugging lightly, "It's not the bullet that'll kill you…you're incredibly sick Jenna. Did you know that?" When his daughter frowned the wolf sighed, "I supposed not. You haven't realized it yet because of how downtrodden you've been. Lawrence's funeral, the fight with Cooper's kid and now the revelation of your step-brother's intentions as well as your uncle's – it's all been building up and it's beginning to make you very sick."

"What…do I have?"

"Pneumonia," He answered slowly, "And a rather nasty case of it actually. I'm surprised you didn't catch it before now."

"How long have I had it exactly? I mean, wouldn't I have known about it?"

Vincent sighed, "You've had it since India…that day you were caught out in the rain with the Cooper gang when you broke your ribs."

"But those were my allergies."

"Just like I always used to say when I got sick," Vincent mused as he cupped his chin, a smile breaking out on his face once more. "Your mother hated when I said that now that I think about it."

"So what do I do?"

"Well," The wolf mused as his hand fell, "Before you make your choice –"

"Choice?"

Vincent nodded, "Yes, choice." He then pointed off to the left where a cluster of trees were gathered – they were much darker and more dense, tall and almost ancient looking as their trunks were as large as both Jenna and her father standing side by side, "That is the path that leads you back to the living world." He gestured then to the right where another cluster of trees resided. These trees were almost enchanting with white frames and dazzling crystal leaves – an almost ghostly glow seeped around the trees and making them shimmer brilliantly in the sun, "That is the path that will lead you to the _other side_…"

"So they weren't kidding when they said you see a bright light huh?"

Vincent chuckled, "No, they most certainly weren't joking. Right now you are trapped within limbo…so to speak." Catching his daughter's confused look he frowned in thought as he tried to explain what he meant. "Since you're in the process of dying you are trapped here until you choose whether you want to live, or inevitably, pass onto the other side. But before you make any decision I want to clarify what happened to my clan, as I already know you have questions pertaining to our demise yes?" When Jenna nodded he smiled. "Now, I had already been married to your mother and you had just been born when it happened. We had received a request from a raccoon in Paris to place a hit out on the European Terror, Clockwerk. At first your grandfather was hesitant, but I immediately agreed to take the matter personally."

"You knew Sly's father didn't you?"

Vincent nodded a smirk twitching his lips, "So that's the boy's name…"

Jenna immediately blushed, "Well…no, I mean don't you hear anything in here!"

"Not everything," The older wolf chuckled, "Only what you allow to pass into this small piece in your mind, though I can see everything…he looks just like Connor."

"Connor!"

"Sly's father – didn't you know this?" Vincent inquired as his brow arched at his daughter, when she shook her head he shrugged, "Well, yes, Connor Cooper had become a very close friend of mine – he and his gang had saved me from a rather nasty job that I had to do in China and we immediately hit it off." The wolf smiled at the memory, "Anyway, as it turned out, Clockwerk had already known that it was going to happen and had convinced members of our own clan that if they turned against us then they would be privy to the secrets of the Cooper Clan and riches beyond their wildest dreams…you know, classic bad-guy plot line." He smirked, "During this time period, it wasn't uncommon for members to leave and join an opposing target, however, it was the first time that close family members did. Dominic and Christian immediately switched sides. We didn't hear from them for a long time, until one night they came back broken and nearly dead. Your mother did an amazing job healing them and they told us that they had been wrong to deceive us…" Vincent drew off suddenly before frowning, "That night I contacted Lawrence, a close friend of mine from college, and my personal informant. He agreed to take you and your mother to the states and to keep you both hidden by any means necessary. Because our marriage wasn't recognized in the states, Delia changed her name to Claudia and married Lawrence. A few years passed and I had remarried to keep up appearances, I eventually realized that your mother renamed herself Claudia after my second wife on purpose…to give you the hint when you were old enough to learn about this life."

Jenna simply listened to her father speak, his voice was like cool water to a burn and she couldn't help but want to stay with him suddenly, but her mind returned immediately to the conversation at hand, tossing that thought away for later contemplation. "How long was it until…you know?"

"Until the clan's fall?"

"That's an awfully nice way to put it…" Jenna mumbled earning a laugh from Vincent who nodded.

"Yes," He cleared his throat. "It was about thirteen years later that our clan was wiped out. Dominic and Christian, my older and younger brother, betrayed our clan and killed everyone down to the last child under Clockwerk's influence." Jenna placed a hand on his shoulder tentatively as he clenched and unclenched his fists, offering her a gentle smile at her touch and nodding, his tension releasing. "Anyway, just before that we learned that Dominic and Christian had gone off to kill Clockwerk, almost seven years prior and because we hadn't heard anything from the bird we assumed he was dead, but I had been sent on a job to Paris when I realized the fate of my old friend…little Sly had been the one that had caught my eye and the cane…it was then I knew what had become of him and when I confronted my brothers they began the killing. I had been the last to die as they wiped out the entire clan, but my death did not fall upon their hands…Clockwerk did that himself." Growling lightly he raked a hand through his hair once more, "It was then I realized that I couldn't pass on completely without helping you. Through your subconscious I was able to see what you saw and I knew that when your mother left things were going to get tough for you."

"You knew mom left?"

"Don't blame her," Vincent smiled. "It was actually to protect you. She didn't know if Clockwerk would be after her so she made sure to get as far away from you as she could. One thing that comes well with being a spirit is being able to traverse the world without a problem, it's kinda fun actually," He grinned. "I then learned that Connor's son had extracted his revenge on the bird…a talented boy, really. At only eighteen he managed to take down the European Terror…it's nice to see you working with him again."

"Yeah…however short lived that was."

Vincent frowned taking a hold of his daughter's chin he returned her face to his and shook his head, "I already know how much you like him Jenna…you shouldn't be afraid of that feeling – you have to remember that they have been trying to brainwash him for a while now, that and what you said earlier didn't help either."

"Yeah, thanks dad." Jenna snorted, pushing his hand away. "I know that _now_."

Sighing, the wolf stood and the younger girl looked up at her father with furrowed brows as he placed his hands on his hips, his eyes staring out at the scenery as if thinking deeply. It had been the first serious expression she had seen on his face. "It's time that you make your choice sweetie."

"Huh?"

Vincent looked down at her before motioning to the mountains in the distance. Jenna was able to see that they were beginning to develop an almost white film around them and she turned confused eyes to her father to see that his expression had not changed, nor had his eyes moved from the distance, "Your mind is starting to fade…it means you're slowly running out of time. You need to make your choice now whether you want to live or die."

"But –"

"This is something I can't help you with sweetie. You need to make this choice without me…I cannot judge the life of another as it is not within my power to do so. You must choose whether you want to go back or if you want to pass over."

Jenna stood, her eyes wide and her lip trembling slightly, "But Dad…" The older wolf looked down at his daughter and frowned, seeing the lost expression on her face as well as the fear. Smiling gently at her he wrapped her in a tight embrace, the younger wolf clinging to him tightly and he sighed, resting his head on his daughter's head. "I don't want to leave you again."

"Jenna," He pulled her away slowly to see that tears were welling in her eyes and falling silently down her cheeks, "Don't base your life off of mine. I don't want to leave you again either, but I'm not alive anymore kiddo. You're only eighteen now," He smiled petting her hair affectionately and Jenna choked on a laugh, smiling despite the tears in her eyes. "You still have so much more to live for…again I can't make you choose, but I would want you to live…live to experience life and you see that boy right there?" Jenna turned her eyes down the hill where, in the faded surroundings she could make out her physical body in a bed and Sly's worried and guilty face, "That boy right there cares very deeply for you. Yes, you're both fighting now, but that face – study it, what do you see?"

"I see…I see a man, not a boy, with a heart of gold and an infuriating cocky streak."

Vincent chuckled, "Now look at him again…what emotion do you see?" Jenna was silent before her brows furrowed in concentration, her eyes studying Sly's face carefully before her eyes widened. Turning back to her father he smiled, nodding slowly. "That is the face of a man who loves someone very dearly. If you want my opinion – no bias – go to him. If you need me, I'll always be right here." He pointed to Jenna's chest and she followed his finger before returning her eyes to her father and smiling. "Go."

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too, sweetie."

As the picture began to fade more, Jenna raced down the slope and to the left where the darker trees resided. As her hand hit the bark of the first tree she stopped, turning to gaze back at her father to see that he was standing there, at the top of the hill, with his hands tucked into his pockets and a wide smile on his face. Smiling in return, the she-wolf turned to the darkness of the forest before racing through the trees and allowing herself to be enveloped by the comfortable and familiar darkness that she knew very fondly.

~_Meanwhile_~

Bentley watched from the doorway as the raccoon stood from Jenna's side. The turtle had remembered when they had found her curled into a small ball in the cart under the bridge, her life literally fading from her and fast. Sly had done the only thing he could have thought of – he knocked on some random woman's door in the middle of the night and firing in quick Czech what had happened and the woman had ushered them in quickly. The raccoon had then explained to Bentley that it was lucky they had found a nurse. What they hadn't been expecting was that Jenna was incredibly sick and was lucky to even be alive at the moment thanks to her pneumonia going unchecked and untreated for so long. Shaking his head of the thoughts, he turned his eyes to his best friend and frowned.

"How's she doing?"

"Not too good," Sly said after a moment, his head bowed slightly. It was thankful that Sly was dressed in casual clothes and so had Bentley – they would have undoubtedly been noticed by now otherwise – Sly was donned in a pair of his thieving pants and a dark blue, almost black turtle necked sweater with a zipper at the front that remained open to express his neck. Bentley, too had been dressed casually in a sweater of his own and in a similar fashion as his friend with the exception of his being a crew necked white and brown patterned top with a russet orange and red intertwining within the stitch work and a pair of brown pants. "She's not responding anymore and her breathing's slowing down."

Bentley's brows pinched tightly as he placed a hand on his friends arm, "This isn't your fault Sly."

"Yes, it is Bentley," Sly frowned as he pinched the fur between his eyes, "Had we not gotten into that argument where I accused her, she wouldn't have walked out of the safe house and she wouldn't have tried to find Murray on her own."

"Well, you're right about the second part…" Bentley commented more to himself and earning a deadpanned look from his friend he sighed, "Look Sly, it's not like you were there to stop her. This is on her now…I can't say anything other than that pal, she'll pull through."

Sly rubbed his eyes, "I hope so."

Bentley shot him a knowing smirk, his arms crossing over his chest. "Hey Sly?"

"Yeah?" The raccoon asked without looking at him as he continued to rub his eyes. Bentley only smirked wider at this.

"Chalk one up for me."

"Huh?" Sly paused in his rubbing to stare at his friend in both confusion and incredulousness, "What're you talking about?"

"Remember the bet, back in Cairo?"

"Yeah."

"Chalk another one up for me."

It took a few moments for Sly to follow what the reptile was saying before a weak smile broke out on his face, "Yeah…I guess you're right."

"Now Sly, you know I'm _always_ right."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," The raccoon chuckled. A moment of silence passed between the two friends before Sly sighed softly, "Thanks Bentley."

"For what?"

"Cheering me up a little…thanks."

"You're starting to sound like Jenna," Bentley commented with a smile. "Do we need to get a recorder to count how many times you say _thank you_ now too?"

Another snort passed Sly's lips as he attempted to hold back his chuckle and the reptile smiled in reply, both of their heads turning to the rather nice nurse that had welcomed them into her home with open arms. She was a pretty looking Dalmatian with light blond hair she kept tied back in a tight bun. She was an older woman in her late fifties and when she had seen Jenna in his arms she had first shouted at him, but seeing her in the condition she had been in and catching most of Sly's quick explanation the Dalmatian had taken them in with no problems. "I've made some cocoa for you gentlemen if you'd like…there's also a warm meal on the table – it looks like both of you could use it." She spoke softly.

Bentley and Sly were both happy that they had taken up languages so quickly while in the orphanage, it had been something to do when they weren't getting themselves into trouble and the turtle had been the one to suggest it. Sly picking up on them exceptionally fast thanks to his thieving heritage – his clan had come from all over the world and in order to read the passages he had to have a decent background in languages at least. He had then taught Bentley and Murray so that if he ever needed them in the field it would be much easier to get information and recon. Bentley smiled at the woman and nodded.

"I think we could both use it after the scare with our friend, thank you Miss Sophia."

"You're very welcome," The woman nodded. "Go eat and I'll check up on her. The medication that I put into her should help bring her immune system back up so that it can fight off the pneumonia, the gunshot isn't an issue – it missed anything vital, but she did lose a lot of blood so it's going to take time for her to recover properly."

"Thanks again for all of your help."

She smiled at them and disappeared into the bedroom that currently occupied their bedridden teammate and Sly sighed, raking a hand through his hair tiredly as he followed Bentley down to the kitchen area where two bowls of soup and matching mugs sat next to one another. The two friends ate in silence before a scream tore from the upstairs and Sly was on his feet faster than Bentley could drop his spoon. Jogging into the room he noticed Jenna awake, her eyes wide and panicked and wielding a candlestick, her back pushed back into the corner and her ears flat against her head. Sophia had her hands raised in a sign of surrender, speaking to the girl to calm her down. It was then Sly decided to take over, knowing that Jenna wasn't fluid in Czech. "This girl is crazy!"

"She's just startled," Sly consoled before Bentley moved into the room and offered a smile to the canine that happily followed him out of the room after the turtle explained that the raccoon could handle the situation, closing the door behind her. "Jenna, it's okay. No one's here to hurt you."

Her panicked eyes turned to him questionably before she relaxed, dropping the candlestick onto the bed and Sly was quick to remove it, replacing it on the nightstand next to her bed before slowly taking his seat next to her. The moment he touched the chair he was almost knocked out of it as arms wrapped tightly around his neck and a body stretched against his, his mind had to backtrack before he realized that it was Jenna. Slowly he returned the embrace and she squeezed him tighter. "Sly, I'm sorry…I'm sorry for everything I said."

"Erm…" He grunted as his mind was relishing the fact that there was a rather feminine body pressed against his and he had to mentally shake his thoughts to return them to what she had just said before sighing and resting his head on top of hers as she nuzzled into the side of his neck. "I – I'm sorry too Jen, I guess we both got a little out of hand huh?" She didn't verbally answer, but the nodding against his neck was answer enough and he smiled slightly. He found that this was nice and it was at that moment he declared that Jenna was the winner of his internal battle. He knew that as long as he was a thief he would never be able to have a relationship with Carmelita and he always knew she would hold a very special place in his heart, but for now, he needed to do what was best for him and that was Jenna.

"I saw him," Jenna began, unbeknownst to the thoughts buzzing through the raccoon's head as she relaxed in his grasp. She felt Sly pick up his head, pulling away from her slightly and while she was a little disheartened at the loss of contact she was now able to gaze into the bright tawny of his eyes – her favorite feature.

"Who?"

"My Dad," She answered with a soft smile as she played with the blanket between her fingers. "He's the one who sent me back…and he told me a lot about what was going on…how the clan was wiped out, why I was brought to the U.S and why this life was kept a secret from me." She looked up at the raccoon with a small smile, "I didn't know your Dad's name was Connor."

Sly quirked a brow in amusement as he eyed the female in front of him, "Yeah – you really didn't know that?"

"You never told me much about your Dad," She countered with a small smile. "But yeah…my Dad apparently knew him."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jenna smiled widely, humor etched into her features as her head quirked to the side, her left ear falling to against her head and the other standing straight up. "Turns out all you Coopers do is save us assassins all the time." Sly couldn't help but laugh and he smiled at her. It was nice to be somewhat normal with one another again. No tension, not awkwardness, just plain and solid friendship, but both knew that it was much deeper than that. "Sly?"

"Yeah?" Jenna looked away from him, returning her attention back to her lap where she continued to play with the blanket between her fingers and sighing softly.

"Don't ever change okay?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jenna only smiled weakly at him, "You think about a lot before you die you know."

A thick silence hung in the air as Sly thought about her words. _She had really almost died_, he couldn't help but think as he watched her carefully. He had almost lost someone that he cared about because of a stupid argument that could have been avoided if they had both acted like adults – granted they were both considerably young, Sly being twenty and the wolf even younger. He didn't like the feeling of knowing that he had almost lost her and after a few moments he turned to the wolf, his mind made up. "Jenna?"

"Yeah?"

It hit him suddenly and he realized vaguely that he was afraid of admitting what he was feeling, even with the knowledge of her own feelings. Shaking his head he sucked up his pride. It was now or never! Steeling his nerves and ignoring the sudden rapid beating of his heart and the flock of butterflies that invaded his digestive track he leaned forward. Jenna, being no stranger to relationships of any kind also moved forward, however, she was surprised when he rested his brow against hers, his hand cupping the back of her neck and their noses touching. It sent a resounding tremor through her system and she couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face, as she found this incredibly adorable. Their moment was ruined when the door opened and the canine from before began barking at them in a language that Jenna wasn't familiar with, but whatever she said it made the raccoon pull away fast enough and flush darkly. "Oh for goodness sakes, cut the romance kid, you can't kiss her even if you wanted to! She's sick and the last thing you need to do is get sick…I don't want to see your face in here again."

She smirked to herself, hiding her laugh behind her hand as he barked back at her in the same language, obviously flustered. "I – I was not going to _kiss_ her!" Sophia shot him a deadpanned look as if saying: _You were so totally going to kiss her; I'm old, not stupid_.

_That's cute; _she snickered to herself earning an embarrassed glare from the raccoon. He could clearly see that she was laughing thanks to her shoulders shaking in restraint.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you knew what she said!"

"It doesn't matter; I don't know what she said." The raccoon snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking, earning another gale of laughter from the wolf as the Dalmatian began to check her over and smiling. Jenna could read the apologetic look on the woman's face and she smiled brightly at her before glancing at Sly, "Um…Sly, could you tell her I'm sorry for almost hitting her with a candlestick before?" Without a thought the raccoon repeated what she said before returning to sulking. Bentley had come in at the exact moment that Sophia had and he had seen everything – and it took all of his power not to laugh at his two friends. Yes, even he couldn't deny that Jenna wasn't a friend to him – she had well proven herself to be worthy of his friendship.

Turning from the check up with the wolf, Sophia turned to the two males. "Now, make sure she takes these twice a day. It's penicillin and will help fight off the virus. Make sure she drinks plenty of water and juice as she's sure to get dehydrated quickly. She has to take that medicine with something to eat otherwise it will make her sick. Other than that, plenty of bed rest and minimal movement to her torso thanks to that bullet wound. And you," She turned her eyes to Sly and smirked knowingly, "Save the suave moves for after she's better. I'm sure she'd rather not get you sick." Sly slouched further in his sulk earning a snicker from the turtle and the turtle receiving a sharp elbow to the side only for the raccoon to yelp as he missed and hit his shell instead. This only earned him another laugh at his expense. "And one other thing lover boy," Sly grumbled at the nickname, but seeing that Sophia was being serious he sat up straighter, his brows quirked in interest. "Keep her safe. This guy that hurt her sounds like a real piece of work."

"Don't worry," Sly nodded glancing at Jenna out of the corner of his eye and noticing the lost expression on her face, "I'll make sure she's safe."

"Good." Sophia nodded, "Now out of here Sly Cooper."

The raccoon blanched slightly and so did Bentley, the two of them looking at one another before looking to Jenna who was also staring open mouthed at the canine. She had apparently caught that reference. Sophia only smirked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Relax, I'm not turning you in. You saved a life and I have no reason to hurt you by ripping you apart from that girl." Sly and Bentley both relaxed slightly at this and both smiled uneasily.

"Thanks Miss Sophia," Bentley blushed and she smiled at them.

"I'm meant to help people boys," Sophia reminded them as she flattened the wrinkles in her sweater. "Criminals or not, you are still people and it is my job to help those in need. Besides," She commented lightly with a large smile. "You're both much younger than I expected, so that automatically lets you slide."

"Erm…thanks Miss Sophia." Sly nodded, rubbing the back of his head. The canine only nodded.

"Now go – I have work in the morning and I'd like to not be late."

"Thanks again for your hospitality." Bentley smiled as Sly moved over to Jenna and helping her stand. After a few minutes of the wolf cursing at him and the raccoon provoking her even more, the raccoon managed to pick her up so she rested comfortably in his arms. Sophia smiled at the two before seeing them out of her house. As she watched the trio disappear into the rain she smiled softly, closing the door and turning to the picture frame next to it. Her husband had been in the military – a decorated soldier and recipient of a high honor. Glancing at his purple heart that rested near their wedding photo she fingered the frame.

"What I wouldn't give to have you back…" With a soft smile she turned off the lights and made her way back into her bedroom, content that she had helped someone for that day before cursing. "Oh I forgot to get his autograph! Jasmina would have loved that!" Turning on the lights in her bedroom she looked to her bed and noticed a small card there – it was shaped to that of a raccoon's head – the mask blue and the eyes white. Flipping it open she couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her lips.

Inside the inner flap was a picture of the gang with his signature in the bottom left hand corner. She eyed each face, it was apparent they had just come from a job of some sort as they were all in their thieving attire: Murray was posed with his muscles flexed and a wide grin on his face, Bentley sitting on his one arm with a wide smile, Jenna hanging from his other arm with a grin and her other arm wrapped tightly around Sly's neck and pulling him into the picture. She focused on the wolf and raccoon a little longer and smiled softly "They certainly are made for one another." Returning her eyes to the calling card she noticed a note written in the raccoon's neat scrawl:

"_To Sophia and Jasmina,  
Our biggest fans __Thanks for everything and keep doing what you do best.  
P.S. Keep the picture – You never know, it may be worth something someday!  
P.P.S. Bentley found out your daughter's name…hope that this isn't weird.  
-Sly Cooper & Bentley Turtle_"

"Oh this is so mine," The canine grinned as she placed the card on her night table and giggled at the note.

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Awww all kinds of warm and fluffiness in this chapter ;) I had to give you guys a break from all the drama and angst I suppose (shrugs) meh! Haha, anyways - the next chapter, I'm excited for - p.s. the end...Jenna gets a rather nice break from all the action as she heals and we all see Murray again - YAY! I miss writing that hippo :(

As always reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update ;) Thanks for reading!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	14. The Daring Rescue

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** (Insert EPIC music of your choice), Yes folks I'm not dead haha, just ran into a really nasty snag with the story is all. I know it isn't expected, but a major shout out to **BananaB0mb **for helping me out of the snag here – the issue, I bet you're all wondering, was this – Because there is no "legitimate" Sly Cooper script that is open on the internet I go on youtube and watch many other persons play the video game for me because I simply don't have time to go back and do so myself to get all of the dialogue. So the little tic that I was having was that I couldn't, for the life of me, find the video I needed to complete this chapter. Seriously, it was all mostly done, but I couldn't do anything without the heist dialogue otherwise this would have SUCKED royally. So again, major shout out to her for finding the video I needed lol.

In other news, I'm going to be starting school again on the 12th of August, yes folks that's this Sunday so I won't be able to update as often as I did this summer. What I basically mean is the chapter every day and then long wait for the next batch…haha, well just so you know it will all eventually come to a solid update schedule…of what I haven't really figured out yet, but it will become more scheduled.

Also, I know I normally reply to reviews right in the chapter, but there were so many of you this time around that I'm unable to do that. So what I'll do is give you the recognition for reviewing and then if you're not an anonymous reviewer I'll PM you and if you are anonymous, I'll be answering your review in the next chapter – as much as I would love to answer all of your reviews, I simply can't because I'm absolutely effin' exhausted lol.

Last thing I promise; keep an eye out for another installment that I have coming out…I got really bored and realized that this story has so many things that I can make fun of (as all of it is generally coming from my own head and intertwining within the original Sly Cooper Franchise plotline haha xD). So, it will be a parody of this story as a gift to all of my readers for breaking 100 reviews :D I seriously sat at my computer for a few minutes and almost cried – I've never had such a well received story before and so I'm extremely happy and want to give back to you guys :D So keep your eyes out for that haha xD.

With that all said, thank you guys for being so patient – I wrote this chapter so that it was long :D Besides, who doesn't like Sly and Jenna fluff ;3 Haha enjoy!

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

- **GO READ THIS STORY NOW:**_A Little Thieving Magic _by wingedknightzero. This is a Sly x OC pairing and it's absolutely brilliant! I just read it and I fell in love with it. It's centered mostly in Sly 3: Band of Thieves, but it's very well written and I feel it deserves more reviews than it has! Please, go check it out and leave a review for this author! It's an awesome story :D

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 13: **_Papercut, BananaB0mb, OceanFlower, Aryabloodlust, Why Fireflies Flash, boona, Guest 1, Razor of DOOM, Silver, Rain, Guest 2, Carmen Veiga, Shannyrox101, SunshineRealism13, SilverSea123, Papercut, Guest 3, The Murray, _and _Shingingheart of ThunderClan_

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
14_

Jenna groaned; the thick blanket that draped over her shoulders wound around her tightly. Sly and Bentley had made sure she was wrapped in nearly all of the blankets they could find in the safe house and even went as far as to make her sit next to the fire and the small portable heater that the raccoon had been so generous to have stolen from a local shopping mall. Where he managed to find the time – Jenna didn't know and, quite frankly, the wolf was not well enough to exactly care.

The guys had been kind enough to let her in on the plans to bust Murray out and she happily imputed what she knew and other solutions that may help with their situation. Bentley had managed to track the hippo to Cellblock D, ironically Jenna had been in the general area where he was being held – being only a cell block away when she had confronted Sam. The turtle, thanks to Sly's own intelligence of the situation, had then stumbled upon a weakness in the Solitary Confinement cell. Apparently, while Jenna and Bentley had both been trying to find their friends, Sly had managed to anger enough of the guards and had gotten into a rather rough scrape with the other inmates upon being left in his cell and he had been tossed into solitary – only after a few sessions with the Contessa and her brother and his reluctance to eat the food served to him had they placed him in _The Hole_.

"So what do you guys need to do now?" Jenna questioned with a slight sniff as she was fighting off her runny nose. "I mean, it's obvious that you're not going to let me out of the safe house, but is there anything that I can do here?"

Bentley seemed to consider this for a moment before deciding to answer her first question, "Well, Sly will be doing most of the brunt work since he's the only one out of the gang that's quiet enough to sneak behind the Contessa to steal the keys to her tank and manual, get her encryption algorithm, take out the Giant Attack Robot –" He paused when the wolf began snickering once more before it turned into a violent cough, "Yes, I know, laugh it up Jenna, but I'm serious! If we try to break Murray out with that thing operational it'll surely squash us."

"Sure Bentley," Jenna coughed once more, her head pounding and forcing a sigh from her lips, though it did nothing to hide the smile as she looked to her reptilian friend, "Whatever you say."

The turtle glared at her slightly from behind his glasses before sighing, "Anyway, then we need to sneak into the cellblock and let Murray know the plan so that he can get thrown into Solitary."

"It doesn't sound too difficult…"

"Yes, but blowing up the bridge will be." Bentley commented airily, ignoring the gaping look on the wolf's face. "Your only job right now is to recover."

The wolf snorted, "You're starting to sound like Sly."

The turtle only chuckled before shrugging, "He's just worried…especially after you almost died on us and all…he was a wreck."

"I know," Jenna sighed heavily, sinking into her blankets slightly. "I was able to see what was going on…it's rather weird, having an out-of-body experience."

"I don't doubt that," Bentley chuckled before handing her a bowl of soup that the wolf had instructed him how to make, again, after Sly had managed to steal the ingredients necessary.

The wolf sipped at the bowl tentatively before sighing softly. She wanted desperately to help out in any way she could, but she knew that if Sly managed to find out then he wouldn't exactly be a happy camper. The raccoon, though it was established that they liked each other, had gone back into rescue mode on top of what she began to so humbly dub as: _mother hen mode_. Sly had made it very clear that she wasn't going to be leaving the safe house any time soon until their job was either complete or until she was better.

Huffing slightly the wolf pouted, taking another slurp from the broth that she had asked Bentley to make her. While she was flattered he was willing to take care of her, the wolf couldn't bring herself to simply lie around and do nothing. Being sick had never been something that she had taken seriously before and whenever she did catch something she normally went about her everyday life as if she was fine – it had just been something that was engrained in her, mostly because she didn't want to stay home. Tossing this thought from her head she sighed once more, boredom quickly setting in and making her antsy. She hated having to rely on others when she could very well do things herself and having Bentley back the raccoon on those sentiments was rather annoying, but Jenna couldn't exactly question their logic.

Her ears turned to the sound of Sly's voice through the monitor, but it was muffled thanks to Bentley having his headpiece on, ignoring this slightly she shifted in her cocoon and placed her soup next to her, reaching for her bag and pulling out her laptop. The wolf decided it was time to do reconnaissance of her own and there was only one other couple she'd be willing to ask. Waiting a few moments for her cousins to answer their line on Skype she took the bowl of soup and lifted it to her muzzle once more, sighing contentedly as the warm broth eased her tender throat.

"_Hey there kid, what's up?_"

"Good to know that you're not at work, the time difference here definitely isn't the first thing on my mind." She grinned slightly, immediately bringing her elbow to her nose as she sneezed. Offhandedly the turtle shot her a _gesundheit_ and she thanked him before returning her attention back to the screen of her laptop and earning a disapproving arched brow from her older cousin-in-law.

"_What the hell happened to you?_"

Jenna laughed nervously, "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"_Jenna Aleu-Francesca Juanita Sumanitu-taka-Auteri!_"

Jenna hesitantly turned her eyes to Bentley to see him looking at her slack-jawed, Sly's voice echoing from his headset that he had removed in order to look at her properly. She offered him a sheepish grin, hiding her blushing face behind her bowl of soup once more. Turning her eyes to Tauwn she glared at him. "I'm sick you ass…thanks for blowing my full name all over the damn internet." She grumbled around the lip of her bowl. Tauwn chuckled, but his expression remained firm.

"_What happened that you got sick?_"

"Oh for the love of Christ, Tauwn, it's Prague…it's snowing up here and when it's not snowing it's raining –"

"She dove off of the Contessa's rehabilitation center into a lake that was approximately ten degrees below freezing."

"Bentley!"

"_Oh really now,_" Tauwn questioned her with his brows furrowing. She winced at his tone as it did not sound happy and she couldn't exactly blame him.

"And I got shot."

"_What was that?_"

"Nothing," Jenna coughed, resting back into her blankets as the turtle began to explain what happened in greater detail. Jenna was exhausted and just talking to her cousin-in-law was beginning to drain her as he kept her fixed with a steely glare while listening to the turtle explain.

After a lot of arguing between Tauwn and Jenna specifically and a lot of Bentley's attempts to ease the anger between the two, Tauwn agreed to allow Bentley and Sly to take care of his cousin and Jenna was finally able to get down to what she wanted to ask in the first place.

"_So you want me to hack into the mainframe and figure out if the Contessa as any medical records of Murray?_"

Jenna nodded slowly and Bentley turned to look at her as if that thought had just dawned on him, "Yeah. I want to see what notes she's taken on him and his esteemed progress with her hypnosis." She explained, "Bentley managed to catch a lot of her intentions when he was trying to break Sly out so we already know that she's trying to brainwash Murray into telling her where the gang stashes their loot."

"_You just can't get good help these days can ya?_" Tauwn asked with a huff as he frowned, his chair moving and the sound of typing echoing through his side of the chat. "_And she's a cop._"

"So is Sam."

"_Touché_," Tauwn agreed before glancing at her slowly. "_Anyway, I'll get to work on this…try and get that phone up and working and I'll send it to you through there. By the way, you're going to get a thiefnet account in order for us to communicate better since it's monitored by thieves._"

Jenna's brow pinched, "Isn't that counter productive?"

"_Well I thought so too, but you get what I mean…to federal eyes it appears as if it's like _Amazon_ or whatever. Regardless it's safe from the federal government here in the U.S and from other places around the world. Developed by thieves for thieves I guess._"

"That makes sense," Jenna nodded. "Alright, I'll get on that soon. In the meantime my phone is already working so when you get that info just send it to me and I'll do the rest."

"_Okay kid, just be careful, I don't have a good feeling about Sam lurking around._"

"You got it," The wolf smiled before disconnecting the feed and standing, her blanket falling to the floor as she gathered her bowl and put it in the sink before frowning. "Bentley?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I could help out at least a little bit?" She inquired hesitantly, "I mean I kinda want to talk to Murray…"

Bentley's immediate answer would have been a solid "no", but he hesitated slightly. He knew that Jenna was incredibly self conscious about what the gang currently thought about her and while he and Sly had come to forgive her and realize that it wasn't her fault for their arrest that Murray was still the wildcard in the wolf's mind. It had been no secret to the turtle that Jenna was closest to Murray, the hippo lobbying very heavily for her in the very beginning and even Jenna defending Murray when he or Sly poked fun at him. The two had become near inseparable all those months ago and he couldn't help but sigh at the thought. It would be unfair to not allow her clemency, "Fine."

Jenna paused in her stretch and stared at him, "What?"

"I said, fine." Bentley smirked as he maneuvered back to the binocucom station, "You can go tell Murray our plan." He turned from the flabbergasted she-wolf, mentally counting down from three for the time of her reaction. As he counted to one a loud, nasally squeal sounded from Jenna before he cried out in surprise at being lifted off of the floor and into the wolf's thin arms.

"Thank you Bents, you're the _best_!"

"Yes, well," The turtle cleared his throat before straightening out his collar as she placed him on the ground, a dark dusting of red tinting in his cheeks, "Sly's a bit busy and I'm sure he wouldn't mind the extra help."

Jenna smirked, "Bentley, are you blushing?"

"_No!_"

"Mhmm," She grinned, sniffling lightly, "Whatever you say."

Bentley rolled his eyes, "Alright, back to business. I'll let Sly know you're only doing the run to Murray just so that he can watch your back. I'm going to take your cousin's warning rather seriously about Sam, especially given the information we know about him." Jenna nodded in agreement, her face falling into one more serious. "Now, I'll send you the coordinates of the pipe systems that'll lead you to Cellblock D so that you can talk to Murray…once you're inside, it's all on you. I don't know the exact location of Murray's cell so you'll just have to work around that." Jenna nodded, a frown marring her face as a thought dawned on her.

"How do you propose I get him out?" She inquired with a quirked brow, "Murray's more agreeable than a dog with a bone…he's not going to just get himself thrown into solitary confinement…"

"I've learned enough about breaking Sly out of prison and patching him up that if Murray gets into a big enough fight then that's where they'll put him."

Jenna considered this for a moment before nodding, "Okay, so I tell him to get in a fight and then just tell him about Sly?"

"That should do the trick," Bentley nodded shooting her a smug look, "You're a smart girl, Jenna, I'm sure you'll figure out what to tell him." He almost laughed when the wolf shot him an indignant look, her nose scrunching in displeasure and her tail flicking in annoyance behind her – the look less threatening due to her constant sniffing thanks to her still being sick. "Don't worry too much about it, you get in and then you get out. I'll patch you through so that your earpiece will attach to Sly's binocucom so that he can coach you through. I'm sure he knows a lot better than any of us about the inner workings of the prison especially if he was smart and was trying to plan a way to escape."

Jenna nodded before accepting the earpiece from the turtle and jogging up the stairs to change into clothing that was both warmer and more comfortable. Reaching into her bag she pulled out her normal thieving attire, exchanging the loose fleece lined sweatpants she had been wearing for her tighter pair that originally went with her outfit. She then tugged the three quarter sleeved top out of her bag and pulled it over her tank top before pulling on a charcoal gray zip up hoodie, thankful that it was lined thickly despite its small size. After a few moments of consideration she pulled her hair back instead of leaving it down, finding that the new addition to the shorter length left most of her hair falling from the messy bun she had just tied it in, but decided to worry about it later. Tossing the hood over her head she grabbed her fitted leather jacket off of the hook, finding that it was now warm thanks to it being placed by the heater before walking over to Bentley after putting on her boots.

"Alright, I'm just going to help you attach the earpiece and then hand you your binocucom." She nodded, allowing the turtle to place the piece into her scarred ear before taking the long wire and attaching it to the back of her shirt, the wire then fell down behind her hood and just under the layer of her leather jacket before attaching to the clip at her belt. The wire then followed the line of her belt to where Bentley placed her finished binocucom in its special pouch. "There, this way you'll be able to hear me if I need to get in contact with you. This is a prototype so we'll see if it works, if it does we'll start using it, if not…well we'll figure that out later."

Jenna chuckled, although it sounded more like a cough and Bentley looked up at her and glaring at her with his hands on his hips at the absence of coverage at her neck, "What!?"

"Go put something around your neck."

"But –"

"Or you're not going to see Murray."

Jenna pouted at him and sighed, grabbing a red scarf from the side and wrapping it around her neck and tucking it into the front of her jacket before glaring at the turtle in challenge, "There can I go now, Mom?"

"Yep," He smirked, "Have a good time now."

Jenna paused before exiting the safe house, "Oh wonderful, Bentley actually _does_ have a sense of humor."

The wolf ducked out of the safe house before Bentley could comment with a smirk on her face. She glanced around before looking up at the prison and with a shudder that wasn't due to her being sick, she decided to make her way to the cellblock that Bentley had pointed out to her and Sly earlier during his presentation. With a heavy sigh she looked at the train tracks, deciding to head that way to avoid detection and quickly found a pipe that wound its way skyward and Jenna couldn't help but think it would lead her to the prison walls for sure. As suspected she soon found herself just outside of the wall on a small piece of land with no other way up the wall. Now this would pose a problem to anyone else, Sly as well, had she not had the bear-claws her cousins had given her. As before she stopped before hauling herself onto the flat of the wall where the patrol paced to make sure no one was there. Finding that the patrol had already passed, she ran in the opposite way, using a pipe to slide down to the ground below.

Jenna was no fool, she knew that the ground was less safe than walking on the electrical wires surrounding the prison or using the bars of the gates that enclosed areas where inmates would be placed to get air away from their cells, but she knew it would be unnecessary for the job she had to do. Finding the cellblock easily, she checked for an opening, happily finding it underneath the stairs before beginning to crawl through the tunnels. After a few moments of crawling through the narrow tunnel she heard static sound from her ear and she grunted. There was very little wiggle room in the tunnel and so she couldn't reach to her ear to see if that would help connect to the signal, however, it proved unnecessary as Sly's husky tenor sounded through her ear.

"_How're you holding up in there?_"

Jenna sighed deeply, contemplating whether or not to have him trade spots with her and ask him the very same question, but she thought better of it. "Fine so far," She grunted as she came to another tunnel that would only take her left or right. Using her nose she soon found it to be a wasted gesture and she grunted, snorting wildly as the pungent smell assaulted her nostrils, "Jesus, you'd think they'd clean these places out!"

"_It's a prison_," Sly remarked sarcastically, "_Not a castle, Princess_."

Jenna muttered a few choice words before answering him, "Yeah, tell that to my nose." She could tell he was going to comment and she growled, "_Don't_ you even think about it."

The raccoon chuckled on the other side of the line, "_All joking aside, how's it looking_?"

"Like the inside of your bedroom back in Paris."

"…_That's not nice_."

Jenna rolled her eyes, "Whatever, but seriously, this place is disgusting."

"_Keep your chin up, Princess._" After a moment's pause he chuckled, "_No seriously, keep your chin up. I wouldn't even want to _think _about what's crawling around down there_."

"Gee way to make a girl feel special." Jenna snorted before sighing, "Anything you want me to tell Murray while I'm here?"

Sly was silent for a few moments before his sobered voice sounded through her earpiece, "_Yeah. He's gonna ask you how you know about getting into the fight to put him into solitary. As you know, Murray's the nicest out of all of us, but if you tell him that it'll help us break him out and that I'm speaking from experience then it'll definitely do the trick to motivating him_."

Jenna nodded to herself, "Makes sense, anything else?"

There was a longer pause before the raccoon answered her, "_Just let him know that we're doing out best to get him out…no doubt he's getting the worse end of the stick between the two of us._"

"With any hope he hasn't had to deal with Sam." Jenna frowned softly, "Don't worry Sly, we'll get him out."

"_Thanks, Jenna._"

"No problem, just be careful with the _Attack Robot_," She smirked earning a chuckle from the raccoon. "We wouldn't want you burned to a crisp."

"_Never in a million years,_" Sly's end had gone silent which told the wolf that the raccoon had either put away his binocucom or switched frequencies. Jenna pressed on through the tunnels. After a few wrong turns, Jenna finally heard a familiar huffing that signified her friend's breathing and she soon found herself looking into a cell from the grate in the wall. Frowning due to her impaired sight she decided to call out to her friend in hopes this was the right cell.

"Murray?" She whispered as loudly as she could in hopes that he'd hear her, "Hey, Murray you there?"

"Huh?" She almost smiled in relief at the familiar grunt as it sounded just next to her and she noticed her large friend stand from what she assumed was his bed before looking around his cell, "Jenna? Jenna, is that you?" The hippo asked as he looked underneath his bed, "Where are you?"

"Over here," She almost laughed, "In the back wall."

The hippo stood from where he was kneeling and quickly moved to the grate in the back wall, a relieved smile stretching across his lips. "Oh, Jenna, am I glad to see you!"

"You and me both buddy," She smiled. "How're you holding up?"

Murray frowned after a moment, his eyes becoming glazed in his seeming confusion, "They've been making me eat a bunch of food covered in spice… and I'm feeling really strange," He admitted. "You gotta get me out!"

Jenna felt her heart twinge with concern for her friend and she moved a little closer to the grate so that Murray could see that she was being genuine, "Hang in there buddy, we're gonna get you out." Murray perked up at this, a smile gracing his face and brining relief to the wolf. It made her happy to see that her friend had not yet cracked under the Contessa's hypnosis, but if they were forcing him to eat the spice-addled food that could only mean that the Contessa was going to try and brainwash him. With renewed concern, the wolf relayed the plan to the hippo, "Murray, Bentley's got a plan to bust you out – he seems to have found a weakness in the solitary confinement cell. If you manage to get into a big enough fight, then they'll have to throw you in there…trust me, Sly was speaking from experience." She had noticed the falter his expression renew with relief at his friend's name.

"I suppose a force like _The Murray_ could take down fifty foes," He boasted confidently, though it faltered slightly to express the hippo's more kindhearted nature, "If he had to."

"Excellent," Jenna grinned encouragingly at him, "You kick the crap out of fifty of those guys and they'll throw you into solitary for sure!"

Murray nodded at her, hitting his open palm with his fist, "Don't worry Jenna, be prepared to watch the awesome power that is _The Murray_!" He grinned at her when she laughed and he stepped out of his cell, peeking left and right before approaching a wolf that had been over by the weights. Before the wolf was able to pick a fight with the hippo, Murray picked him up and threw him across the room. Jenna watched in fascination as the hippo swiftly took out each and every inmate in his cellblock before he grinned, smacking his open palm with his fist and flashing her a thumbs up. "Is that _anti-social _enough for you!?" The hippo barked and Jenna had to hold a paw to her muzzle to keep from laughing. Murray turned to the guards that were now swarming the cellblock and he hit his chest before thrusting his hands outwards in challenge, "What, you're gonna throw me into solitary!? BRING IT ON!" He roared as he pounded his chest as if a gorilla and Jenna smirked as he was caged and led out of the cellblock.

Considering it a mission accomplished, Jenna began backtracking her way to the opening she had slipped through, only to find herself outside the prison walls by the sewers. Grimacing she looked up at the opening where the sewage was being emptied into the moat that surrounded the prison before glancing at the bars. She soon found her way through the small opening, avoiding the spikes and throwing her scarf into the river after it got caught on one of the spikes. Sighing she noticed the hooks above her and jumped, grabbing onto it in her gloved hands. Swinging herself to gain momentum she let go and grabbed the next hook before repeating the process and landing on solid ground. Looking back and forth she quickly made her way back to the safe house with little incident, much to the relief of both Sly and Bentley, who were currently waiting for her.

"You ready to make a break for the big guy?"

Jenna smirked, "Been ready since I attacked Neyla."

Bentley rolled his eyes at the two, not exactly knowing if he should call them a couple or not as they had not had time to speak it over themselves over the last few days. Bentley and Sly had been preoccupied in finding Murray and keeping the regimen that Sophia had given them to help Jenna recover and this had left no time for the raccoon and wolf to discus their own personal matters with the other. It was well established that they were attracted to each other, now it was up to them to work out the finer details. Bentley shook his head, he knew they would hash out the details after they got Murray out and he was happy to see that, despite the attraction between the two of them, that their jobs came first and that was all the turtle necessarily cared about at the moment.

"Alright lovebirds, here's the plan," Bentley hid a smirk at the dark flush on both of their faces before gesturing to his screen and hitting it with his pointing stick.

ღ

Sly was positioned on a rooftop just across from the tank that they were meant to hijack, his binocucom to his eyes as he searched out Bentley. The turtle was supposed to hijack the tank, raise it up enough for him to crawl under; meanwhile, Jenna would position herself along the prison wall and keep out of sight until they managed to blast the door open. While going over the jobs for the jailbreak, Jenna had voiced that she would keep an eye out for Sam and patrols that would hinder their cause before following them inside and while both males agreed that it would be helpful, Sly couldn't help but feel slightly protective of her. The last time that Jenna had faced off with her brother she almost died and even with her recovering from her pneumonia the raccoon was aware that she was more sluggish than normal which could hinder her part of the job. Shaking his head he sighed, he knew he needed to have more faith in her and so with nerves steeled he surveyed the area for either Bentley or Jenna.

His eyes, thanks to the binocucom, soon found Jenna's lanky form scaling the side of the prison wall, her tail disappearing over the other side as she moved into position, "_Alright guys, whenever you're ready I'll get to clearing the area._" Her voice was soft, but determination seeped from her words and Sly could detect the slight nasally sound to it as she was still recovering from her pneumonia. No matter how hard the guys had tried to convince her out of going, Jenna refused saying that she had promised Murray just as much as they had that they would all be there to break him out. Needless to say, the raccoon and turtle soon found themselves losing the argument.

"_**Okay Sly, Jenna, I'm heading out for the tank**_." Bentley's nasally voice cracked through the mic in the raccoon's binocucom and he nodded, though he knew that this gesture was not able to be seen. He was about to respond before Jenna's voice sounded through his ear piece.

"_Roger that Bentley,_" She acknowledged, "_Right now it's just the usual patrols within the prison, no sign of Sam or the Contessa._"

"Ten-four," Sly confirmed as his eyes surveyed the area. "Patrols are minimal, if that down here…Bentley, they seem to be surrounding the tank that we're supposed to hijack." He frowned softly, "Stay at a distance and take them out with your darts, Jenna are you in sight."

"_I can see them, yes._" Jenna confirmed before Sly was able to make out her silhouette against the dark sky as she repositioned herself on top of a watch tower from the prison. "_Hang on Bentley; I'll take them out with my own darts. They're quieter than the trigger on your crossbow and you'll be able to sneak passed._"

"_**Roger**_."

Sly's binocucom turned from Jenna's position to the four wolves and two bats gathered around the tank, watching as each one flinched before falling into a deep sleep. The raccoon was able to make out the darts sticking out from their necks and he rubbed his unconsciously as he wondered if the darts hurt much. Shaking his head he returned his eyes to the two bats to see that they had fallen mid-walk and were now sprawled out behind the tank giving the turtle the perfect clearing up to the prison walls. "_Alright Bentley, you're clear_."

Sly's focus turned to see the reptile running towards the tank, avoiding the spotlight along the bridge before hopping into the tank, "_**I'm inside the tank…increasing the ride height on the treads.**_" The tank began to lift as Bentley pulled the lever, "_**There, that should give you enough room. Crawl underneath this thing and let's get moving**_!"

"_You're still clear up here…_" Jenna remarked from her end. The wolf was a pivotal point to the operation so that the guards wouldn't suspect anything fishy going on given that Bentley's plan required firing missiles at the cellblock door. As soon as he was meant to fire, Jenna was supposed to draw attention from the local guards and lead them away from the scene while Bentley and Sly raced into the cellblock. From there the she-wolf was meant to meet up with them inside once the guards were led off the main trail. Jenna's mechanical genius was going to be put to work in this plan by repairing and reinforcing the doors and making sure that no one suspected a thing. If Sam or the Contessa knew that there was something fishy going on, then it would only be a matter of time before the Cooper gang was busted and they all preferred not to have to go through the whole process again. They weren't going to get another chance like this.

"_**Great**_," Bentley seemed to sigh in relief at the update before addressing the raccoon, "_**I can't see you down there, Sly, so try to keep up and stay out of sight**_"

"No problem, Bentley." Sly confirmed as he slid underneath the tank, "Take her away."

"_**Roger**_."

"_You know,_" Jenna commented, "_I never did understand who the hell Roger is…even being the daughter of a military officer, the whole Roger thing never made sense_."

Sly snorted at this small revelation and couldn't help the amused chuckle that passed his lips as he crawled in pace with the turtle's driving, "That's really what you're thinking about at the moment?"

"_It's elementary my dear Watson._" The wolf's smug voice jested, "_But seriously, who's Roger_?"

"_**I'm positive you can ask later, Jenna.**_" Bentley, while both were unable to see him, frowned, "_**Can we stay focused here please?**_"

"We are focused Bentley," Sly answered with a withheld chortle, "Sherlock up top is making sure we're clear…isn't that right?"

"_Bite me, Watson._"

Sly couldn't help but laugh. It was a relief to have Jenna back in the gang and helping out with heists as she did add rather hysterical commentary that never went unnoticed. He nearly laughed louder when he heard Bentley sigh through his earpiece. "_**We're approaching the prison gates…**_" He commented hopefully as he continued to drive, the previous conversation now sobered as the new objective came into play, "_**Let's see if they fall for it…**_" As Sly continued to crawl he noticed the gate lift and he heaved a sigh of relief, only to chuckle as the turtle laughed a triumphant "_**SUCKERS!**_" into his ear.

"Why hello grand and wonderful shit-eaters of the food chain, fleabags and the sight impaired!" Sly's jaw dropped as Jenna's voice rang clearly through the prison yard, "Are any of you fellas looking for some exercise to fit into that dress for prom!? Feeling out of shape and want to get back into your Sunday best!? Well, boy do I gotta deal for ya!" She smirked as all of the guards' attention was on her. "For a limited time only you can try and catch an Assassin free of charge! That's right, just thirteen dollars a month for the next three years and you can have the Assassin's work out guide of the century!"

"_**She certainly has a way with words doesn't she?**_"

"She sounds like those late night advertisements…just a little more foul."

Jenna continued despite both of her teammate's voices in her ear, yelping as a guard shot at her. Placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the guards she pouted slightly, "Now don'cha know it's not nice to fire at a lady when she's speaking!" Suddenly it was like all hell had broken loose, Jenna had jumped from her perch and with her whip chain struck at one of the many flashlight guards, her crescent blade sinking between the leather strap and their back before using the one vulture as a projectile and throwing him into another group of guards. Seeing her opportunity she quickly climbed up the pipe to the watch tower before offering the guards a solute, "Sorry fellas, but your time to _call now_ is up. Catch me if you can!"

With the guards now chasing after a cheeky she-wolf, Bentley found his opportunity to strike, "_**You'd better get out from underneath the tank before I let loose with the turret.**_" Sly quickly crawled out from underneath the armored vehicle and the turtle made fast work of blasting open the doors. "_**Okay, you're all clear. Head inside and I'll be right behind you.**_"

Sly nodded before he darted through the opened doors and into the cellblock beyond. After a few moments of running he came to a stop to wait for his friend, during this time he decided to see how his female teammate was holding up, "Jenna, how're things looking up there?" After a few moments of no reply the raccoon began to worry, "Jenna, how're things up there…Jenna, do you copy!?" Static was the only thing that met his ears and he was about to press on the earpiece once more before her voice crackled through the static.

"_You know, that question gets rather old after the first time you ask._"

The raccoon sighed heavily, relief washing over his body and relaxing his tense muscles, "Geez, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."

"_Oh the irony,_" She snorted in reply, though the raccoon could detect the mirth behind her statement and smiled, "_Listen, if I don't call in with an update in fifteen minutes _then_ start to worry. It's gonna take a bit for me to get rid of these guards and head back to repair the door. I'll radio in the verdict._"

"Just be careful up there alright?"

"_Pfttt, Rodger that._"

Sly smirked before changing the channel to the one that would connect him to Bentley's earpiece, "Bentley, do you copy?"

"_**I'm having some trouble sabotaging the tank,**_" Sly could easily detect the frustration in the turtle's voice at his predicament before he sighed, "_**Go on ahead, I'll catch up**_."

"Alright, just be careful, Bentley."

"_**No problem, I'll try and rendezvous with Jenna. If not then I'll meet you in there as soon as possible**_."

"Sounds solid," Sly confirmed with a nod, "See you in a bit."

~_Meanwhile_~

Jenna panted with a grin as she ran. Confusing the guards into attacking each other had been her best idea of the entire heist and she pranced and danced around them all with skill of a seasoned martial artist, dancer and gymnast and was proud of her work. Thanks to the blowgun that her cousin had been so gracious to give her, many of the fallen guards acted as obstacles that caused their fellow guards to trip over and it proved quite amusing to the she-wolf.

Despite her humor of the situation she had been keeping a close and serious eye for her brother, hoping to whatever deity was listening that he wouldn't show up until much later. So far it appeared as if her hopes had been confirmed and she was thankful for it. After the last guard fell she jumped forward, using their handcuffs to seal their fate and after a few minutes she had finished her masterpiece. Taking her binocucom out she snapped a quick picture with her in the frame with a victory sign (peace sign) before stuffing it back into it's holder on her belt and racing to her next objective.

While she normally didn't believe in the timetables that Bentley set up during a heist, she knew that this job was far too important to rebel against and so she made quick work of getting to the cellblock. She was surprised to see Bentley racing towards her faster than she had ever seen him run and after looking behind him she understood why. A savage looking wolf was racing behind him almost on all fours and Jenna moved without thinking, realizing vaguely that this is what her father had been talking about when she had slipped deep into her subconscious. She ran at Bentley as fast as she could possibly pump her legs before falling into her front paws and allowing her now elongated body to carry her forwards even faster. Just as she was a few paces from the turtle she jumped as the wolf behind him did and she met him in a clash of fangs and paws in midair. Quickly switching her hold she grabbed the back of his lapel and used her momentum to toss him backwards before landing on all fours in front of Bentley, who had stopped at the cellblock doors.

"Jenna!?"

"Don't worry about me, Bentley. Rendezvous with Sly and I'll catch up."

The turtle didn't hesitate and darted passed the disfigured doors. Taking a quick look at the wolf in front of her, she noticed that it wasn't her brother by any means. In fact, it was almost as if she was looking at the male version of herself. Shaking this thought, she growled at the lanky male, noticing that he couldn't have stood much taller than herself nor was he that much bigger than her. She turned sharply as another wolf, much stockier than the first lunged at her from behind and she jumped into the air, utilizing all of her feet available before flipping and landing so that she was between the two wolves, her back closer to the cellblock wall so that no other wolf could take her from behind. As both wolves began to converge a loud, feminine howl broke through the silence and effectively stopping the advancement. Both looked at one another before racing towards the outer wall, using a tool very similar to her bear-claws before disappearing into the misty night.

"_Okay Bentley_," She heard Sly start through her earpiece, "_What's next?_"

"_**Well, that should be the guard's control center…but to be honest, I'm not sure how you're going to get up there.**_"

"_Don't worry about it; thinking on my feet is what I do best_."

"_**Most security went down when we cut the power on the bridge, but a few lights seem to have a back up generator…be careful**_."

Shrugging and once again thanking whatever deity was listening, she quickly raced towards the door and began setting it back on its hinges, no longer caring how accurate it looked before running off to find Sly and Bentley. As she opened the door leading to the lower level and into the cellblock itself the wolf panted, allowing her aching muscles a well earned break from her sprinting and falling next to Bentley who looked at her with a mix of concern and relief. "Jenna, are you alright?"

Jenna nodded, answering the reptile behind all of her panting, which sounded more like wheezing thanks to her clogged lungs, "Yeah, just _a lot_ of running."

"Who was that wolf?"

The she-wolf, still lying on the floor shrugged, her jacket making a scraping sound against the rough concrete underneath her. "I have no idea, there was another wolf that came to back him up…they heard a howl and took off." She drew off slowly with a cough as her brow pinched, "They looked really familiar though…"

"I initially thought it was you," Bentley admitted sheepishly. "That wolf looked exactly like you!"

"Yeah, that's what's weird." She frowned, "I'm gonna have to look into it once we break Murray out, he's first priority."

Bentley smiled with a firm nod, "I couldn't agree more."

"So where's Sly?"

"_Okay, I'm running your algorithmic code decrypter. You see anything happening down there?_"

"Oh, well that makes sense."

Bentley rolled his eyes with a smile tugging at his mouth before the wolf and turtle both looked around for any indication of something changing before the door that the reptile was standing next to began to slide open. Bentley grinned and Jenna sluggishly pulled herself off of the floor with another cough. "Success, we've got access to solitary confinement," Bentley announced as he pressed his ear.

"_Hot stuff, I'm on my way down._"

He nodded to Jenna who followed after him, her eyes immediately fixing on her twitching friend. "Oh, that looks bad." Bentley frowned deeply, "I've never seen Murray like this."

"Oh no, Murray…" Bentley turned to where the wolf was looking and he too couldn't help but stare at his life-long friend. Murray sat in the confinement cell with wide eyes and twitching uncontrollably. Periodically he would swat at something that wasn't there and his large and bulging muscles shuddered from underneath his thick flesh. He stood almost awkwardly with his knees turned in and his arms close to his rotund frame and his neck was twisted awkwardly as Murray appeared to be attempting to become as small a target as possible. The wolf had to cover her muzzle, but her wide eyes couldn't turn from him. It wasn't until she felt a hand at her elbow that she turned to look down at Bentley who shared the same look from behind his large glasses. Sly soon joined them his brows furrowed deeply as he looked between the turtle and wolf before looking at his much larger friend, his eyes widening.

"He's all twitchy and bug eyed."

This snapped the wolf out of her small panic attack and she turned narrowed eyes to the raccoon, her arms crossing over her chest, "You know, your observational skills never cease to amaze me."

"Jenna, you said that Murray was being forced to eat spice right?"

The wolf nodded, her arms falling from their crossed position and her paws fisting at her sides, "Yeah, he said he was feeling strange."

"I believe the technical term he used was _weird_." Jenna rolled her eyes at Sly's correction before the turtle sighed, cutting off a further argument before it could begin.

"Well he's weirded out all right." Bentley nodded, "I doubt he even knows we're here. Clearly we're going to have to lure him out of that cell the hard way."

Jenna and Sly shared a concerned look before the raccoon crossed his arms, staring down at his friend in confusion, "The hard way?"

"Those hypno-boxes are designed to heighten the effects of spice…and he's already in an agitated state." Bentley began to explain and Jenna looked to each box with a frown on her face, though before she could intrude on the turtle's explanation he continued, "So if we turn them all on at the same time, Murray's sure to become wildly hostile and probably break down the door."

"So how do we turn on the hypno-boxes?"

"The power switches are all defended by laser barriers. When you get close I'll hack the laser system from my terminal down here…that should give you access."

"Let's do it; anything to help out ol' Murray…he's looking really bad." Both males turned their attention to Jenna who had remained quiet during the explanation as her eyes narrowed on each of the boxes as if calculating something. Bentley and Sly shared a look before the raccoon addressed her, "What're you thinking?"

The wolf was silent for a moment before she answered, "Given Murray's agitated state he'll break down the door due to the hypno-boxes…" She began slowly, not bothering to look at both of her teammates as they nodded. "If the hypno-boxes are used to heighten the effects of spice, how do you plan to break Murray from his hypnosis?" Bentley and Sly seemed to just think of this before looking at one another, however, Jenna seemed to have already come to this conclusion. "Sly, while you and Bentley are turning the boxes on, I'm going to open the back panel for each one. While I would say we could simply destroy them, I wouldn't want to use Murray's blind rage to take them out…it's not fair to him." Sly and Bentley agreed with her. "Now, while you're both doing that I should be able to figure out what wires reverse the effects, thus making them useless."

"That's actually a good plan," Bentley nodded as he cupped his chin. "Yes, that should work!"

"Alright," Sly nodded, "Let's get to it."

The trio nodded before setting off to do their designated jobs. Jenna couldn't help but watch as the raccoon skillfully maneuvered the floor lasers with finesse and she shook her head with a smile. Popping open the back panel of the first hypno-box she began searching for the wires she was going to need to disconnect in order to reverse the effects. After finding her designated wires she took off her fingerless gloves and traded them for a pair of full fingered ones so that she wouldn't absorb any electrical shock if it came down to that. She doubted it would be a problem, but she didn't want to take the chance.

"Okay, I'm hacking the first terminal…" Bentley announced as Sly came into range of the first laser barrier. Jenna glanced briefly at the raccoon who was standing just before the lasers and staring in her general direction and she passed it off as him spacing out, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

Sly couldn't help but stare at the wolf as she submerged herself into the machine to see how it worked. Her hair, which was noticeably shorter, was tied out of her face in a bun to keep it out of the way of her job and she had removed her jacket to express the three quarter sleeved shirt that she normally wore while on the job. Wielding a flashlight she squinted into the jungle of wires and switches as she observed each thing. After a moment she stood and he immediately turned his gaze to Bentley.

"Sly." The raccoon returned his attention to the wolf to see that she had a more serious expression on her face, "When all of these boxes turn on, I'm going to need you to keep Murray busy…it won't take me long to reverse the wires, but it will take me time to get the panels off. If you can somehow stall him and keep him off of me that'd be very helpful."

The raccoon nodded, offering her a flirtatious smile, "You got it, Princess." He laughed when the wolf rolled her eyes, but a resounding blush rose passed her light fur of her cheeks that belayed her annoyance. As the laser wall fell, Sly stepped forward and switched the first hypno-box on before stepping back to see what effect it would have on his large friend.

"**What's that sound?!**" The hippo ground out from behind his teeth, "**Angry…Get. Gone!**"

Jenna turned her concerned gaze to Sly's to see that his was now filled with unbridled determination as he raced for the next box. All three knew that they were beginning to run low on time and they had to get Murray out before either Sam or the Contessa came to check up on the hippopotamus. As Bentley crashed the next laser barrier and Sly turned on the hypno-box that Jenna was standing next to the wolf turned her eyes back to her confined friend.

"**I'm a little tea pot short and stout,**" He began to sing and all three members of the Cooper gang turned their eyes to meet the others at the sudden pitch in the hippo's voice before it returned to its normal octave and he growled, "**Tip me over and I'LL SMASH UP EVERYTHING, RAWRRRRR!**"

"Well," Jenna began as she licked her lips as her mouth had suddenly run dry, "At least we know its working?"

Sly glanced down from the upper balcony as Jenna's statement came out as more of a question and he could see the deep concern as well as a slight nervousness. Even he had to admit that he wasn't looking forward to seeing what his best friend became after the last hypno-box turned on, but he knew that it was for the greater cause of freeing him. With a sigh his look smoldered, "Jenna," The wolf looked up at him and he offered her what he hoped was a comforting look, "He'll be fine…it's Murray." After a few moments she nodded and the raccoon raised his eyes to the next barrier.

Jenna knew that this was pressing in on both Sly and Bentley much harder than her as this was their friend since childhood. She would never be able to take that away from them, but she knew that agreeing with Sly was the best thing to do at the moment as it was obvious by his attempt at comfort that he was mostly trying to convince himself and she sighed heavily. She only hoped that the short amount of time of his agitation and the reversing of the hypnosis didn't damage something in his psyche and leave him worse than he currently was. As the last box turned on all three stopped what they were doing to look at Murray as he began growling and _barking_.

"Um…guys, I really don't think that's normal…"

"Jenna, make with the reversing!"

She nodded at the turtle and ducked back down by the hypno-box to begin her part of the plan. Her hands shook wildly as she fumbled with the wires, hearing a war cry come from Murray's direction before the door of his cell gave way. She chanced a look at him as he pounded his chest and roared loudly, glaring at anything and everything with so much rage that it left the wolf rooted into place as her awe took over. She had never seen Murray quite like this and it scared her to see this side of him.

Her eyes widened suddenly when the enraged hippo caught sight of her behind the hypno-box and he hit his chest and released a thunderous roar before charging in her direction. She was sure he would have hit her, had Sly not moved her when he did, the raccoon tugging her out of the way and both watching as the hippo destroyed the box into little pieces.

"Do you still think that it's not a good idea to have him break it himself?" Sly questioned above her, his voice shaky at the seeming near death experience of becoming something very akin to road kill.

Jenna licked her lips again and released a shuddering cough before watching carefully as Murray turned at the sound almost as if a wild animal hunting its prey. Sly, noticing this, quickly covered the wolf's mouth and both noticed that Bentley was hiding in the small alcove where his terminal resided. The wolf tried to gather herself, but she immediately pushed Sly's hand away as a small coughing fit pushed passed her lips and the raccoon turned sharply to see that it had effectively drawn the enraged hippo's attention and he pounded his chest and charged.

Thinking quickly, Sly wrapped an arm around the smaller female's waist before using his cane to redirect his friend's blind charge by using his scarf to lead him. Effectively redirecting the charge he noticed that Jenna had caught her breath and was squirming to be released. Nodding to one another, the wolf set about doing her job and Sly began averting Murray's attention from the wolf as she began to tear into the hypno-boxes. She seemed to no longer care for what wires did what as she tugged all of them out of their places, effectively stopping the box before shoving the panel back and racing to the next one.

The last one, Sly and Jenna both noticed, was across the room and it would leave her extremely vulnerable to Murray's charges. With a quick nod between Jenna and Sly the wolf braced herself before racing out of her small alcove and across the room. As Murray charged at her she narrowed her eyes before pushing off of her hind legs and using her hands on his back as a launching point she leap-frogged over him, the wolf miscalculating on the landing and falling into a table and a set of chairs in a heap. Sly didn't have time to check to see if she was alright before he had to dodge out of the way of Murray's blind charge, however, he too miscalculated and the hippo managed to grab the front of the raccoon's lapel before tossing him effortlessly across the room and against the wall where he wheezed painfully as the wind was knocked from his lungs. Shaking his head to clear his vision he looked up just in time to see Murray charging at him again and he rolled out of the way, using his speed to counter.

Jenna, pushing herself up from the now demolished table shook her head to rid herself of the dizziness she felt before glancing over at Sly to see that he was literally on the run as Murray was beginning to catch up to him. This unsettled her as Sly was easily the fastest on the team and with a new determination she stood, locating the remaining device before sprinting towards the last hypno-box. Ripping the panel off of this one as well, she reached a gloved hand into the box before pulling out any and all wires that she managed to grab before sighing as the box suddenly stopped working.

The trio turned their attention back to Murray who seemed as if he was in a daze for a few moments before looking around in confusion. "Ugh, my head…" The hippo groaned as he rubbed the sore spot gingerly in his large hand. Suddenly he snapped to attention, alert, as he looked around before his eyes settled on the gang, "Who?" He asked looking at Sly, "What?" His brown eyes then turned to Bentley before landing on Jenna with a wide smile, "Is this heaven?"

The three looked at one another before relieved laughter filled the room that their friend seemed to mentally be okay, before Sly and Bentley began laughing harder at the wolf's blush, "Thank you, Murray."

"Sorry Pal," Sly chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest, his cane resting comfortably against his arm, "You're no angel."

"Just take a few deep breaths and try to center your thoughts."

After the small breathing session led by Bentley, Murray sighed as if relieved before smiling at them, "I have my half of the Clockwerk Heart." He announced proudly and all three members gaped openly at him.

"What!?"

"Murray!"

"Are you serious!?" Both Bentley and Jenna turned narrowed glares to the raccoon who offered them a sheepish smile, "What? I'm surprised!"

"I'm serious; I managed to keep this half of the Clockwerk Heart safe." He grinned as if proud of himself, "It was hard to hide from the Cont –" He paused suddenly, his jaw falling open as he looked just over Bentley's head, "Oh the Contessa! She's getting away!"

Sly, Jenna and Bentley turned sharply to see the arachnid stalking away before the raccoon's eyes fell on a way to open the doors, "Murray, lift those crank bars so we can chase after her!"

"Sly, you need some serious help with phrasing things –"

Murray glared at the crank bars confidently before nodding, "I'm on it."

As Murray got to work on lifting the bars, Sly turned a smug look to the shorter wolf who glowered at him with her arms crossed over her chest. "You were saying _mon chérie_?"

With a roll of her eyes she shook her head, "You seriously need a life."

"I need _serious _help with phrasing things and am suddenly in need of a life; know where I could get either one of these?" The flirtatiousness of his tone did not go unnoticed to the wolf and she closed her eyes, a smirk stretching across her muzzle before reaching into her front pocket and pulling out a coin.

"There's a coin; go by yourself a clue at the gift shop."

Sly stared at her for a few moments in open bewilderment as the smug wolf walked away from him, flicking her tail so it hit him in the nose as she did. Bentley's laughter reeled him back to reality and he pouted at his older friend and crossed his arms over his chest, "It wasn't _that _funny."

"You're right, you're right…" The turtle acquiesced, pausing in his laughter before smirking up at the younger male and laughing again, "It was absolutely priceless. You should have seen your face." At the younger raccoon's deadpanned look the turtle snickered, "Chalk another point up for Bentley, geez Sly, you need to get on the stick here…soon I'll have you chalked under the table."

"Har, har, har," The raccoon rolled his eyes before a light smirk tugged at his own lips as the wolf coached Murray her eyes focusing on the barriers separating them and the path of which the arachnid had disappeared to. "I have to say though; I think I found myself a winner here."

"That you most certainly did," Bentley agreed, patting his friend on his arm before motioning that they join Jenna where Murray was now pushing the final crank bar into position.

"Alright, good job Murray!"

"Thanks little buddy," He grinned as he pounded fists with the wolf before turning to his friends, "Let's go."

With a tone of seriousness, all four of them raced down the hallway each one having a particular score to settle in mind with the arachnid. Multiple turns and dead ends later found the group outside of the cellblock and atop of the outer wall of the prison where the Contessa was waiting for them. Murray glared at her so hatefully then that Jenna couldn't help but be thankful that his stare wasn't directed at her. Huffing with restrained rage he pointed at her angrily, "You lousy, no good _head shrinker_!"

"Oh come now, Murray." The Contessa cooed with her thick accent, "We were making such progress during our sessions."

"The only mental help I need is to…" He drew off as his insult faltered, his mind drawing blank on what to say, "…never be reminded of you again!" He nodded finally and he glanced unsurely at his friends and each nodded. After a moment his eyes locked with Jenna's hazel ones and she smiled at him encouragingly, giving him a firm nod as well.

"Such displaced hostility," The arachnid sighed as she stared down at him condescendingly. "If you insist on getting angry," She continued eyeing each member of the Cooper gang with a fierce glare before her eyes settled on Jenna, "Why not be psychologically productive and channel it at your so-called _friends_!?"

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth you witch," Jenna snarled with such hostility it actually caused the hippo to openly stare at her. The wolf then locked eyes with cobalt blue ones and she tensed as her brother came up next to the arachnid. The wolf snorted at her before addressing the arachnid in a language she wasn't familiar with before walking away without a glance at her. Enraged by this she went to lunge, but was held back by Sly who shook his head gently as if telling her to let it go. Sighing softly she nodded and he released her, their eyes returning to the Contessa who had been watching them all closely. Murray snorted slightly bringing the Contessa's crimson eyes to him.

"I'm done talking with my mouth," He frowned before thrusting his fist forward and glaring at her, "Now I talk with my fists!"

"Sorry," She commented airily, "But our time is up."

And as suddenly as the words were said the gang was chasing the arachnid up the wall to where her escape blimp was slowly rising up. "Murray go on ahead, we'll take care of the spiders she lying down!" Murray nodded to the wolf before she looked to Sly and Bentley, "Go cover him, I got these."

"You sure?" Jenna looked to the raccoon and nodded soundly before unlatching the thin chain of her whip chain before slicing through the first spider effectively preventing it from blowing up. The three took off after their larger friend who was right on the Contessa's tail for the length of the wall before the arachnid used her web to pull her across to her blimp, smirking down at them from the aerial vehicle. Jenna stopped next to Sly and glared up at her brother who smirked down at her before throwing something out of the blimp at them. The trinket fell to the ground before Jenna and she kneeled to look at it to see that it was her family's pocket watch.

"Ghahhh, she's getting away!"

"Don't worry pal, we'll find her," Sly comforted as he patted the hippo's shoulder, "With the _four _of us back together, she doesn't stand a chance."

Both Murray and Jenna snapped their head's to the raccoon who was glancing at the wolf smugly. Murray looked between the wolf and raccoon before grinning for the first time in what felt like ages. "THIS IS GOING TO BE SO COOL!" He cried as he swept Jenna off of her feet and into a long overdue bear hug. The wolf laughed as the hippo hugged her before wincing as he applied too much pressure to where she had been shot only a week and a few days ago. Sly seeing her discomfort patted the hippo's arm and nodded as if saying to put her down and Murray complied, releasing her and watching carefully as she rubbed her side. Before he could ask, however, Jenna flung herself into the raccoon's arms and hugged him tightly. Murray looked to Bentley and the turtle shook his head, waving them off and laughing.

"C'mon Murray," Bentley smiled, "You've got one more reunion to attend."

"Oh!" He cried in realization, "_My baby_!"

The wolf and raccoon separated after a few moments and smiled fondly at the two retreating figures of the turtle and hippo before the wolf bowed her head to look at the pocket watch in her hand, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You okay?"

Jenna looked up at the raccoon and nodded slowly, "Yeah…I can honestly say that I am." She smiled at him, quirking her head to the side and her eyes closing with the smile. It was a genuine gesture, Sly had noticed over the few weeks of knowing her that she rarely did. It wasn't that she wasn't being genuine; rather it was she had never had a reason to smile in such a way until recently. She opened her eyes, smile still in place before looking back at the watch and frowning slightly. Stepping away from the raccoon's warmth she opened the small front before glancing at the picture that had remained untouched. Removing the picture, she folded it and tucked it into her jacket pocket before closing the watch and with all the strength she could muster she threw the watch as far as she could. After a moment she looked back to Sly to see he was staring at her in confusion and she shrugged, "I didn't need it any more."

"But, I thought that was the last part of your family?"

Jenna considered this for a moment before shaking her head, a somber smile tugging at her lips. "No, my family isn't in a pocket watch…my family is with my friends." She watched as a few emotions flashed through his tawny eyes, her favorite feature to the quirky raccoon, among them confusion and even a slight flicker of jealousy. With a smirk she stepped closer to the raccoon, removing the dream catcher charm out of her pocket and placing it in the hand she had just taken along with one of Sly's calling cards. "Silly raccoon, I never specified who those friends were you know…" Sly looked at his open palm where Jenna cupped her paw underneath his own and at the dream catcher charm that rested atop of his calling card before watching as Jenna closed his paw with her other around it. Without a word she released his hand and stepped back, her arms falling limply at her sides and a smile flickering upon her face like a warm and inviting flame.

Sly frowned softly, this time his entire persona expressing his confusion, "But what about your friends from the states or even your cousins?" His frown deepened as his confusion deepened, "What about your mom's side of the family, what about –!?" He jumped suddenly when Jenna placed a paw to his lips, shaking her head and smiling at him.

"Family isn't always by blood, Sly." She smiled at him softly, "Family are those that we let close to our hearts and those that are brought into our lives by choice. Yes, you cannot betray blood, but friends are those family members that we chose to _be_ our family." She sighed deeply, her head bowing slightly, "You're a lucky guy, you know." At his confused look the wolf clarified, "Even though you lost your parents, you've had family this entire time…Bentley and Murray – those are your family, they're your brothers. Yes, they look different than you do and yes, they come from different places, but you three have a very special bond…I wish I had known what that was like when I was younger."

Sly frowned at her softly, his brows pinched in confusion, "You mean that it doesn't apply anymore?"

"No," She smiled, her eyes twinkling slightly with her genuine emotion. "If these last two weeks have taught me anything, it's that my family is right here…right here with you guys."

"So…" Sly gulped slightly, he knew that they had yet to speak about what to consider themselves and even he couldn't help but admit that despite the suave moves he normally portrayed and the confidence he exhibited around the general female population, he was rather clueless when it came to what to do in a relationship.

He couldn't help but mentally view himself as a near pubescent teenager with a hopeless crush rather than the twenty year old and seasoned thief he was. With the mental image in mind he couldn't help but feel his confidence waning dangerously close to not being there at all. He glanced at the wolf to see that she was waiting patiently for him to ask his question, though he could tell that she seemed to have an idea of what he was hinting at, but even then she didn't make the motion to ask for him. The raccoon cursed to himself. He was a seasoned thief from a famous thieving family, had almost single-handedly taken down each member of the Fiendish Five, and had almost single-handedly taken down his arch nemesis, Clockwerk and flirt unabashed with a cop he knew was more of an infatuation than a potential partner at the current time. So how was it he was unable to suck up that courage to ask a simple question!? After taking a deep breath he decided to take the plunge and see what his results would be. It was a fifty-fifty shot that he had, as the information of her liking him just as much had obviously slipped his mind.

"So, what would that make us?" He held his breath for a few moments as he watched the wolf carefully for any sign of discomfort from her. He took in how she seemed to think this over for a few moments before smiling slightly, an almost smug look crossing her features as well as a cheeky mirth.

"Isn't it the guy that normally asks the girl out?"

If it was possible, Sly's jaw would have dropped and it partially had. The wolf smirked openly at him, not hiding the fact that she was teasing him and pulled away from him before walking back along the prison wall grabbing the side of a watch tower and winking at him.

"Catch me if you can, Cooper."

With that she removed a hook from her utility belt and slung it over the rope that connected from the watch tower to a building further below before disappearing from sight. It took Sly a few moments to process what had just happened before a boyish grin had managed to stretch across the length of his muzzle before using his cane to attach himself to the line to follow her all the while smirking to himself, _It looks like I already have, Princess…It looks like I already have._

* * *

Aww, don't you love it when everything works out in the end?

Anyway, the gang is back together and Jenna is now offically considered a member! Yay, the excitement is killing me haha xD But who are those mysterious wolves that showed up during their heist? Any guesses?

Don't worry there's more fluff to come, but with Sam still out there how long can their happiness last? Hmm...only time will tell I suppose, but I'll at least leave you with that as food for thought. So I decided I wanted to make a small poll, just to see what y'all think about my OCs ;) So when you review just drop a name of who you like the most out of this list of characters ;D

Jenna Sumanitu-taka-Auteri  
Melissa Labrador  
Tauwn Labrador  
Lawrence Sheppard  
Vincent Auteri  
Kurt Kupa  
Stevie Huron  
Sam Sheppard  
Dominic Auteri

Haha and as always, reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update :) Thanks for reading and I love you all very much...seriously...there's lot'sa love to give ;D

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	15. A Little Recreation Never Hurt Anyone

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Hello fair and lovely readers! Haha I'm sorry, I just seriously felt like saying that :D Anyways, I bring to you another chapter that is absolute filler and jam packed with romance ;) Yes, I figured I would reward everyone with a little sap every chapter lol. Well, we'll see how long that _really _lasts haha. Anyway, I apologize in advance for my late updates – college is in full swing for me again and being an RA (Residential Assistant) takes up a good portion of my time when I'm not doing homework (URGH!). Any who, thank you all for being so awesome and I hope to hear from you in the reviews :)

Last thing I promise; keep an eye out for another installment that I have coming out…I got really bored and realized that this story has so many things that I can make fun of (as all of it is generally coming from my own head and intertwining within the original Sly Cooper Franchise plotline haha xD). So, it will be a parody of this story as a gift to all of my readers for breaking 100 reviews :D I seriously sat at my computer for a few minutes and almost cried – I've never had such a well received story before and so I'm extremely happy and want to give back to you guys :D So keep your eyes out for that haha xD.

With that all said, thank you guys for being so patient – I wrote this chapter so that it was long :D Besides, who doesn't like Sly and Jenna fluff ;3 Haha enjoy!

Just a side note:

- If any of you are looking for an AMAZING _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, _Why Fireflies Flash _has an amazing Jack/OC pairing that completely blew my mind! If you're interested go check her out! It's a story that'll leave you wanting more for sure! She also has a Sly Cooper fiction that's a Sly/OC called _Diary of a Thief_ and it's simply _Wonderful!_ Please go read it and leave her some feedback! It's definitely a different kind of story that's certainly memorable!

- If anyone is interested in a wicked_ Young Justice_ story, _GraNNIeShufflez03 _has one that's just simply amazing – no pairings, but defiantly lives up to the original show ;)

- If you want a really interesting _Sly Cooper_ story, I've actually just stumbled upon one while looking through the archive and _Deags_ has an awesome beginnings of a post-Sly 3 story that so far seems to trickle into the anticipated Sly 4: Thieves in Time plotline. It has an amazing plot so far and I highly recommend it :) go and check it out!

- If you really want another really interesting _Sly Cooper _story, _BananaB0mb_ has a well written Carmelita x Sly pairing that covers the very end of _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves _and into post-Sly 3. Very interesting! She also has a one-shot that covers Carmelita and Sly's father's relationship…._REALLY _brilliant…I suggest reading her stories – they're really good!

- I have recently read another _Sly Cooper_ story by _ForeverFreelancer _and it's very well written. It's only two chapters and a Sly/OC and a Carmelita/OC and is very good so far. Go and check it out and leave her some feedback. It's co-written with _Deags_ and it's definitely a fiction to keep your eye out for :)

- **GO READ THIS STORY NOW:**_A Little Thieving Magic _by wingedknightzero. This is a Sly x OC pairing and it's absolutely brilliant! I just read it and I fell in love with it. It's centered mostly in Sly 3: Band of Thieves, but it's very well written and I feel it deserves more reviews than it has! Please, go check it out and leave a review for this author! It's an awesome story :D

As I come through good stories I'll post them in my chapters so that you can go and check them out…for serious lol. Any of these stories can be accessed through my homepage via the _Favorite Authors_ or _Favorite Stories _hyperlinks :) if you want the titles of the stories PM me and I'll let'cha know :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 13:**_ Aryabloodlust, GraNNIeShufflez03, Carmen Veiga, Papercut, BananaB0mb, The Murray, boona, Keyblades of Oblivion, Shingingheart of ThunderClan, Silver Levi, _and _KaiaUchiha1 _

_Aryabloodlust: _I'll admit that I love my OCs, but out of the two of them, my favorite is definitely Sam lol. I love Jenna, don't get me wrong, but I love writing evil characters :) They're the ones that shape how good the protagonist really is and behind every bad guy is a really sad story, it just so happens that Sam felt neglected and because of that he become jealous and evil :D lol. But thank you for your review and for you I have an update ;D

_GraNNIeShufflez03: _I'll be honest, your review sounded like a child on a sugar high LOL! It's a good thing that I know you hahaha xD any who, you're right – I do know you have a wicked woman crush on Kurt and Stevie, they're just too cute lol. I'll keep it brief, because I'll only text you about it later anyways haha – thank you for the review and I hope you like the next chapter ;)

_Carmen Veiga: _LOL! I'm glad you enjoyed their adorable-ness…(is that a word –shrugs- well it is now ;D) and yes, I did that on purpose lol :D You'll see why later haha. Anyway thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_Papercut: _Just, LMFAO! Thanks for the review, totally made my night xD and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_BananaB0mb: _I'm so glad to have Murray back as well! I really missed writing him and haha, thanks! I think they're pretty cute too, but I'm a total slave to the original plots…I'll leave it at that lol. Anyways, I really am appreciative for your help in the last chapter and I won't forget the help, trust me, nor will I stop thanking you for it haha xD And I hear you, I like all of them too :D They all add their own flavors into the mix and keep the story moving. Anyway, thanks so much for the review, as always and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_The Murray: _YAY! Lol, thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_boona_: Yes they are and I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Keyblades of Oblivion: _Haha welcome then! I'm so happy to know I get new readers for this story :D It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside haha! Anyways, thank you so much – honestly, I just open up word and write. I normally don't put a lot of thought into the meat of the chapter, but let it fall with the general outline of a beginning middle and end, reason being that I'm very spontaneous and I change my mind often lol. And haha, you did :) Not too many people get it the first time around ;D But character development is very important to me and I enjoy making them lol, hence why as the stories go on you'll find mention of future OCs as well as OCs that were in other stories ;D And LOL! Yeah, I didn't want to go with the original way to free Murray because I'm sure if they had someone else there, they wouldn't have just used Murray's rage :) that and Jenna is a very playful character, especially when she's with Sly. Anyway, thank you so much for the review and I really hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_Shingingheart of ThunderClan: _Heehee, Jenna is VERY snarky and sarcastic haha! Hence why I love her – in real life I'm sarcastic and even a little snarky so that is actually based off of me (because who better to write sarcasm than someone who uses it daily?) haha. Anyway, I will tell you that you're half right ;) If I told you any more, however, I would ruin the next few chapters for you lol, but you're on the right track :) Thanks for the review and for you an update! Hope you enjoy!

_Silver Levi: _I absolutely adored your review and trust me, I'm totally okay with it haha xD! Anyway, I have to agree that Jenna's pretty awesome and actually Melissa and Tauwn are based off of my cousins :) haha. But I'm glad you enjoy the romance between Jenna and Sly and I'm pretty sure you'll like the surprise at the end ;) Thanks for your review (however long it may be :D) and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_KaiaUchiha1: _Dohhhhhh (blushes), thanks lol. And I'm so glad it's not – those stories really bother me because it's all romance and no build up :P It makes me lose interest in stories very quickly when they're like that – unless it's a sequel and they're already together, but otherwise it drives me bananas! I'm so glad you love them! OHHHH I'm so happy someone loves Tauwn specifically! He's one of my favorites as well xD and when I finally post my other spoof story, I'm sure you'll love him even more ;D And yes, I will be continuing through _Thieves in Time_ ;) There will be a total of 4 stories for this series as there will be another story post _Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves_. Anyway, thank you so much for the encouraging review (so glad that this story isn't cliché, you have NO idea how happy that makes me lol) and I really hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

And another thank you to all who have subscribed or favorited this story :D You're all amazing!

Without further delay…on with the fiction!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
15_

Jenna smiled widely from the back of the van at the rest of the gang that was currently sitting around an open camp fire and eating hotdogs supplied specifically by Murray. The last few weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster and the wolf was happy for the small reprieve that Sly had demanded they have. Her eyes fell upon Bentley who was in the middle of telling his two friends about the drive out of the deep jungles of India, a story that had both hippo and raccoon near hysterical. While the story itself wasn't humorous at all, Jenna was aware that it was the relief of being back together. With a small sniffle she rubbed her still-running nose (as she had yet to fully recover from her illness) before smiling as the guys shared each of their own stories, Sly going into detail about the fight he had had that landed him into Solitary Confinement and ultimately _The Hole_.

It had been a week since their harrowing escape from the Contessa's rehabilitation center and the gang currently found themselves back in Paris where their old safe house had been on their previous adventure. From what she understood, they had multiple safe houses around Paris as precaution and the wolf couldn't complain, however, after noting the condition of the old caboose that served as their first safe house she had elected to sleep in the van.

She was brought from her musings as a finger poked her side and she flinched slightly, but otherwise did not move. Instead she turned her hazel eyes to meet the bright tawny of Sly's eyes, "You okay there, Princess?"

Rolling her eyes at the pet name she nodded slowly, a ghost of a smile beginning to tug at her lips, "Yeah, just thinking."

"About?"

"Everything," Jenna answered after a moment, scooting over so that the raccoon could sit next to her, his longer legs stretching before bringing his left leg to his chest as his right hung limply out of the van. "But something's been eating at me for a while," She murmured around a small cough, "Who were those wolves and what were they doing in Prague…why did they look so similar to me?"

"Do you think it may have been the Auteri?" Sly questioned softly as he glanced at her, his expression concerned while attempting to be strong to support her worries. Jenna shook her head slowly, sniffling softly, as a scowl tugged at her lips. "Who do you think they were?"

The wolf shrugged softly, "I wish I knew – it was like something inside of me sparked and hasn't died out since they were called away by that howl…do you know what I mean?" Sly stared at her for a few minutes before nodding.

"I do, it's the same drive that pushed me to get the pages of the _Thievius Raccoonus_back from the Fiendish Five."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence and after a moment Jenna sighed, forcing a smile to her muzzle, "Well, we can worry about that later. For now we'll focus on the Clockwerk Parts!"

The raccoon's eyes cast to the bundled wolf to see that she was deeply bothered by the appearance of these wolves. Bentley had explained that he had originally thought that it had been Jenna walking towards him only for it to be a near mirrored image of her; the exception was that instead of Jenna herself, a male had taken her place. It had brought the reptile into a panic and he had fired a dart at the wolf, which had enraged him and he attacked out of defense. Originally it hadn't made sense, but Bentley was adamant that it was particularly his fault and he had originally mistaken him for Sam in a panic, but even after it had brought the she-wolf into a thoughtful cloud. While the raccoon was used to this, he couldn't help but feel unsettled by her silence on the matter – it wasn't until just now that he realized how much it was bothering her.

"Listen," He sighed capturing her chin with his forefinger and thumb and directing her eyes to his. "I know that the original goal is about the Clockwerk Parts, but don't think that we aren't considering your things as well okay? If we need to take time out to figure out who these wolves are then we will. If it's important to you, it's important to the guys and me as well…we're all in this together." He smirked at her as a glimmer of his normal mischievousness slithered into his eyes once more, "Besides, you're just _so _sweet."

With a snort, Jenna rolled her eyes. "Your sarcasm is rather misplaced," a smirk began tugging at her lips as she said this to express she had not taken offense to his jest, "Besides, you're just the regular Prince Charming."

"Ah, but your sarcasm only expresses your _obvious_ attraction."

"I'd love to hear the explanation behind this deduction," Jenna coughed softly, quirking her brow in disbelief despite the amusement that was laden in her eyes. Sly cleared his throat dramatically before smirking at her. She didn't know too many people that were capable of conveying a smile through their voice, but the raccoon was an expert at it and she absolutely adored that about him.

"Well, Princess," He began, straightening his back and pretending to hold a pipe to his mouth as if impersonating a wealthy British Aristocrat from the 1890's. "Pet names are used in one of two ways: the first is when you're intending to do one harm; or the second, of which, by the way is my favorite, you create a specific name for one that you hold affection for." Jenna covered her muzzle with her paw to hide her smile, but her laughter did not go unnoticed to the raccoon as he continued, "By you referring to me as _Prince Charming_, you are using the more affectionate side of pet names, eluding a much more forward pet name such as honey, dear or beau." As her snickering escalated, Sly stopped his act to look at her incredulously as if her laughing was misplaced. "Do you find something funny, _darling_?"

Jenna coughed, choking on a laugh before regaining enough breath to answer him. "Your perception of the subject is…most enlightening and, ah, most invigorating, however, you missed one very important fact within your…_deduction_, Sherlock."

"Oh really?"

"Why yes," The wolf nodded knowingly, a scholarly look crossing her face and making her appear much more refined and poised than her normal carefree and casual appearance, "The fact that you seemed to have overlooked would be the person in which is utilizing the pet name and to whom the pet name is intended, leaving there to be a third option which is the commonly overlooked sarcasm in which the name is specifically highlighting a falsehood."

Sly stared at her for a few moments before placing a paw over his heart as if he had taken a physical blow, his face contorting as he feigned a look of absolute abhorring and pain, "How could you!?"

Jenna couldn't help but laugh, her near-hysterical gales quickly turning into rather unattractive hacking as her lungs squeezed painfully in her chest. Sly quickly reached forward and patted her back in an attempt to soothe the wolf's coughing fit. After a moment Jenna recollected herself and smiled at him in both mirth and thanks before clearing her throat. "To answer your question, I'd have to say _very _carefully."

Sly stared at her for a moment before sharing in her mirth as it was clear neither one was taking the conversation seriously by any means; with a small chuckle he shook his head. "You're a real piece of work."

"Thank you, I do my best."

With the mood lightened both watched as Bentley and Murray began talking animatedly, the topic lost upon both raccoon and wolf as they had been speaking when it was brought up. It was comforting to watch things returning to normal and to see that the separation was beginning to turn into a fragment of the past. Jenna was then reminded of earlier when Bentley had been scribbling in the _Thievius Raccoonus _and she was positive that it was to document the recent happenings. Sly had explained to her that the ancient book's pages depicted the adventures of each Cooper and their notes on their thieving moves and of course their arch nemesis. The topic was still very much fragile with Sly, but he put on a brave face. With this thought brought to surface Jenna cleared her throat, earning the attention of the raccoon next to her, his brow arching in inquiry from under his hat.

"Hey Sly," She began after a moment. "Remember how you were telling me about how the _Thievius Raccoonus _holds _all_ of your ancestor's notes?"

"Yeah," He nodded, removing his father's hat from his head and running his paw through his hair, "What about it?"

Jenna paused, unsure of how to ask the question without being too straightforward, before sighing heavily and deciding it best to simply ask. "Well, I found it strange that it had every Cooper's notes…except for your father's…" She drew off slowly. Sly thought for a few minutes, his eyes fixating on the stars above them before he gathered himself enough to answer.

"My father's notes on this thieving moves and adventures, was the only chapter I had never been able to find," He began. Jenna, seeing his sudden tension, scooted closer to him in order to offer a little comfort as she rested her head on his shoulder. She could feel him shift slightly, before he repositioned his arm to encircle her bundled shoulders, pulling her closer and despite the amount of blankets around her she felt warmer. Sly sighed softly before continuing, "Two years ago I managed to find all of the missing chapters by taking down each member of the Fiendish Five, but when it came down to defeating Clockwerk we didn't have time to really search for the rest of the pages. After replacing each chapter, we realized that the chapter my father had written was never recovered so I can only suspect that they're gone."

"I'm sorry, Sly." Sly looked down at her as she sniffled softly, her eyes watching the dancing flames of the fire they had built. Slowly she turned her eyes up to meet his and she frowned, "It's terrible that you had to go through all of that."

"It's not your fault," He stated after a moment. "Maybe I was never meant to read that part of the book."

Jenna frowned deeply before shaking her head in disagreement, "No, I think you'll know what to do."

"Hm?"

"I mean, I'm sure there will be a time when you don't know how to get through something on a heist or how to get out of a situation and you'll just know that it's something your father knew how to do and that he'll somehow be able to speak to you through that."

The raccoon considered this for a few moments before offering her a small smile, "Maybe you're right."

"It happened to me," She reminded him softly, flicking his nose almost playfully before settling back into his side and her blankets. "I'm positive you'll know what to do when the time comes."

ღ

Jenna rubbed her forehead as she leaned back in her computer chair, the sound of the Cooper gang researching behind her drowned out by the music pumping through her earphones as she conducted her own research. It was nearing the end of their small reprieve and while the gang was sad to see it pass, they knew that there was a great deal of more important matters to prioritize: one pertaining to the Contessa and the other pertaining to the mysterious wolves that had appeared during their jailbreak, however, the precedence at the current time was the Contessa.

Pressure on her shoulders drew her out of her thoughts and she craned her neck to see Sly behind her, his paws pressing in on the tense muscles of her shoulders and massaging them lightly to gain her attention. Pulling out her earphones she looked up at him questionably and he sighed slightly, "Bentley hit a dead end."

"A dead end?" She questioned incredulously, "Where?"

"We're having a hard time figuring out the Contessa's location. You had your cousins look into her right?"

"Yeah," the wolf murmured after a moment before standing as Sly removed his paws. "What do you need to know?"

Sly paused for a moment before looking to Bentley to see that his attention was focused primarily on his computer screen and that Murray was attempting to follow what the reptile was spewing as per his apparent frustrations. Shaking his head of this observation he sighed, "Anything you know that may help us at this point…"

"Well," Jenna paused, smiling at him. "I suppose we can make this a reality." Without another word she walked over to Bentley's computer and turned off the monitor, effectively gaining his attention as well as Murray's before she gestured to the open seat. "So let's consider what we know thus far," She began as she uncapped a dry erase marker from Bentley's work station, turning her attention to the large white board where the reptile had most of his algorithmic equations that he thought would aide them in narrowing their search. Without a word, Jenna began erasing the equations in favor of her approach – she began with a bullet point before writing out her thoughts, "The Contessa fled from her rehabilitation center in Prague via aircraft and is now currently hiding out somewhere that is not yet known to us. While I was searching for you guys, I paid the Constable a _friendly _visit where she mentioned that the Contessa is a secret member of the Klaww Gang, right?"

"Right," Bentley agreed, his disposition clearly stating he was annoyed with the wolf's antics despite the amount of protest he had verbally established as she did each action. "But how does that explain why you erased all of my equations that were narrowing down her location via topographical features?"

"Because," Jenna smirked as she leaned on the table in front of them, "You don't need _equations_ to figure it out. All you need is a basic grasp of psychology and knowing of your target." She declared with a smirk as she stood and began writing down facts that the members already knew. "Being that she's a secret member of the Klaww Gang, surely she has a Clockwerk part – the question is: which one and why? If we look at the last two members we've faced we can definitely deduce that it has something to do with the spice that Rajan was manufacturing in India. The Contessa used the _same_ illegal spice to amplify the effects of hypnosis with Murray in order to gain the location of the loot we've accumulated over the years as she had done to numerous other criminals in the past. With this knowledge as well as her own psychological profile, we can then deduce that, since breaking in and ultimately out of her rehabilitation center and figured out her plans – not mentioning that we know for certain her hidden agenda – she'll go to the one place she finds herself the _most_ _secure_."

"She wouldn't go back to Interpol," Sly stated as he crossed his arms over his chest from where he leaned back in his chair, his hat pushed up slightly. "Being that she was just uncovered as a member, she's lost all of her accreditation as well as any security she would find within the police –"

"Not to mention she'd be arrested as soon as she showed up!" Murray intruded as he paused in his coloring, earning nods of agreement from both Sly and Bentley.

Jenna frowned at each member, her tail slowing in its previous wagging, "Your points are all valid, but think more about where you'd go if you needed to escape."

"The safe house, obviously." Bentley answered quickly before he paused, realization beginning to blossom on his face. "She'd go to a safe house – her home!"

"Right," Jenna nodded. "While you guys were over here beating your heads against a wall – I was streaming the news on my laptop. It's been reported that since Carmelita's arrest and the Contessa's corruption uncovered, Neyla is being put on the case to bring the Contessa in." Rolling her eyes briefly, Jenna continued before the guys could interject, "The point is: when I interrogated Neyla, she made it very clear that she wanted Carmelita out of the picture because she was jealous and wanted to expose the Contessa –"

Sly frowned at the wolf, briefly locking eyes with both hippo and turtle before returning his eyes to her hazel ones, "That's all well and good, Jen, but do you really think that Neyla can be considered trustworthy?"

"No," The wolf sighed softly, "I don't, but what we need to consider is the actions that she's taken thus far since Carmelita's been arrested and the Contessa's been exposed."

"She's right, Sly." Bentley nodded from his own seat, "Right now, as much as we don't trust Neyla, we have to consider that she's going to use the Contessa's exposure to bring herself to the top. She's already gained notable recognition for the things she's done since joining Interpol in the last three months total."

Sly glanced at each member of the gang before sighing, removing his feet from where they were propped on the table and allowing his chair to fall forwards as he crossed both of his arms on the table in front of him. "I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that I'm not comfortable with Neyla around at all."

"You're not." Jenna agreed, "I don't trust her as far as I can throw her and considering that I'm notably smaller, that's not very far. But, what I _am_ saying is that we use her thirst for power to our advantage."

It was silent for a few moments before Bentley cleared his throat, "Why don't we do this," He proposed as he pulled a pad off of his desk and flipped to a clean page. "Jenna, see if you and Sly can get in contact with your cousins and find out if they can figure out her exact location. Murray, I'd make sure that the van is ready to go at any time – she took quite the beating while in the jungle and I'm sure she could use a tune up, meanwhile, I'll get to looking into what Clockwerk part the Contessa's in possession of."

"Sounds solid," Sly stated after a moment. "Let's get to it." He stood and followed Jenna back to her own small desk where her laptop was still streaming the news as an image of Sam appeared. "Did you get to read this yet?"

Jenna looked up from her phone to see what the raccoon was gesturing to and frowned deeply, passing her phone to him and seating herself at the computer. After a few moments of skimming the article the wolf growled lowly in her throat and gaining the attention of the male members of the gang. "According to a recent interview with Chief Barkley, when asked about the mysterious disappearance of prime investigator of what reporters and law enforcement are now calling the recent killing of Captain Lawrence Sheppard the _Assassins Crisis_, Inspector Samuel Alexander Sheppard, Barkley has stated that the information is not open to the public. No more than six hours after the interview, the Department of International Affairs, the office closest to the _Assassins_ case, stated that they had received a tip off about a new movement within the hidden world of assassins. No more than five years ago, one of the greatest assassin clans had been destroyed in a case that ran cold in '93 and the investigators had determined that there had been none left. With this information kept within the DIA office, it has been brought to the attention that the many deaths related directly to the _Assassins Crisis_ is one of these Auteri. Inspector Samuel Sheppard was quoted in an interview stating that, "Despite these strange turn of events, I have made it my top priority to bring this vigilante to justice, as any who break the law should be". If you see any strange activity regarding sudden power outages, missing persons or strange behaviors of persons, please report them to the DIA office."

The room was silent as the wolf seethed quietly in her chair. While he didn't state it was her, it did unsettle her considering what they obviously knew about his hidden agenda. Sly watched her carefully before clearing his throat and closing the tab on the internet and answering the video chat that suddenly appeared on her screen.

"_Hey kid!_" Tauwn greeted happily, his smile dropping as soon as he saw the look on his cousin's face, "_Who pissed in your cornflakes?_"

"Have you been keeping up with the news?"

Tauwn frowned in thought before shaking his head slowly, "_Mel and I had to move. With the media heating up on the Clockwerk case between Interpol and it's constant uncovering of its officers and you guys causing the ruckus you have, it's not exactly safe anymore._"

Jenna and Sly immediately shared looks of incredulousness, Jenna's flashing with a hint of desperation whereas Sly's held a flicker of reservation.

"_Don't worry about it kid, we've been talking about moving anyway. You know how Mel gets when she's absorbed _all_ the fashion of a particular country._" Jenna sighed, not finding the humor in her cousin's statement despite his attempt to lighten the mood. "_Alright I get it – not funny, what's up?_"

"We were wondering if you knew anything about where the Contessa would have gone into hiding."

Tauwn turned his eyes to Sly, of whom had spoken, before smirking slightly, "_Nice to technically meet you Sly, it's good to see that Jen was able to help you guys get out of the slammer._"

"He helped me track you guys down," Jenna answered without looking at the raccoon who shot a quirked brow in her direction, "Anyway, back to business. When you did the data check for me last time, were there any common areas where she seemed to frequent her time?"

The labrador snorted at her unpleasantly, annoyed at her lack of tact. He could see that she was already irritated about something and decided to save his sarcasm for another time as he turned slightly to the left where another monitor was seated, "Well since you asked _so nicely_, yes I did. Well, it was Mel's idea, but I did manage to configure a few points that she seemed to frequent other than her rehabilitation center."

"That's great!" Sly smiled, relieved that they seemed to be making process, only to have his hopes dampened by the indecisive grunt that came from chocolate lab.

"_Not to burst your bubble here, Sly, but there's only one issue with these points..._"

Jenna's brows pinched, "And what's that?"

"_Well,_" Tauwn began, "_While they're all in the Czech Republic and relatively close to the rehabilitation center, the Contessa is incredibly smart when it comes to people tailing her. We sent in our own informants to tail her and try and track her down and they checked in hours later with no set destination. She has doubles of herself wandering around to throw people off…_especially_ Interpol._"

"She must know that we're going to eventually come after her," Jenna stated as she turned to Sly.

The raccoon nodded as his brows pinched tightly over his eyes. Things were definitely getting more and more complicated the deeper they delved into the Klaww Gang's affairs! Sly knew that this was not going to be easy, especially since the Contessa is arguably the craftiest of the opponents they'd have to face thus far. Dimitry was child's play and Rajan was _too_ careful; Contessa was a completely different matter entirely.

"_Given what you managed to get out of Neyla last time, Jen, I would say that it's only a matter of time before she knows to expect you. The more flexible and versatile you guys are, the better off your heist is going to go. Contessa is no easy feat and while I would encourage you not to bother with her, there's still the threat of her possibly having a Clockwerk part. Not to mention, Sam's undoubtedly with her._"

"Right," Jenna nodded as she ran her paw through her hair, untangling the long tresses as she went. All the members were donned casually as they wanted to avoid attention and Jenna happily indulged in a pair of shorts and a large hoodie, the wolf still in the process of getting over her pneumonia. "So, given that you have a few places already mapped out, what seems to be the most frequent?"

"_The grocery store._"

There was a heartbeat of silence before Jenna remarked, "Are you being sarcastic?"

"_No, I'm absolutely serious. Her most frequently visited place – according to my sources – is the grocery store._"

"That can't be right," The wolf snorted with a sigh, "It may be a double. How about her least frequented place?"

"Her castle estate."

Sly and Jenna looked at one another before nodding, "That sounds much more like where she would go." The raccoon nodded in agreement.

"It would make sense if she had doubles walking around for her."

"_Well don't get too excited just yet,_" Tauwn advised as he looked over something that was off screen. "_You do realize that with Carmelita out of the picture, you're going to be dealing _exclusively_ with Neyla…right?_"

Sly frowned deeply, "Has there been an official statement about who's been put on the case?"

"_I would automatically assume that it would be Neyla, reason being that she's the closest to the case._"

"She is the one who arrested you guys back in India…with the Contessa's corruption it would make sense that they would put Neyla on the case since she has the most experience and knowledge with the investigation."

Tauwn nodded in agreement, "_Jen's got a point Sly, as much as we all don't want to admit it – it _is_ the most sensible thing they would do._"

"Is there any way to get a confirmation on that?"

"_I'm sure I can find out, but keep in mind that Neyla isn't exactly the worst of your problems._" The labrador stated as he began typing something into the computer next to him, glancing briefly at the monitor with a knowing glance, "_Sam is still a very _real _threat to you guys. With him running around and with his own hidden agenda, it's only a matter of time before he attempts to expose you all himself for the accreditation…and recognition._"

Jenna frowned as Sly nodded in agreement, his face settled in thought. After a moment the wolf sighed, tugging at her loose hair and twirling a few strands as she thought about her next statement, "Hey T?"

"_Yeah?_"

Ignoring the sudden suspicion in his tone, Jenna continued, "While back in the Contessa's rehabilitation center I was able to listen in on a conversation between Sam and Dominic Auteri…do you think that we'd be able to use that to expose him?"

Tauwn stopped what he was doing before turning his dark eyes to the screen, the question obviously gaining his attention. "_What was the conversation about and did you record it?_"

"Basically it was about the killing of dad and how to get rid of me and as far as the recording…I have no idea."

"We took care of that."

Jenna turned her attention to the raccoon who was busy scribbling down notes from the information Tauwn had managed to give them, "What?"

Finally managing to look up from his writing he stared at her for a moment before a smirk began pulling at his lips despite the seriousness of the situation, "Yeah, any time one of our binocucoms activates it automatically feeds into Bentley's computer so that he can assess the situation from the safe house and provide tips when needed. You happened to turn yours on when the computer was on so we were able to see everything you saw…and heard, ultimately."

"_Good, my advice is to wait for now and hold onto that until the opportune moment. You don't know if Sam has anyone on the inside that he's bribing in order to cover his tracks._"

_~Later on that night…~_

Jenna frowned as she stared at the lit computer screen in front of her, her hazel optics trailing along the words that were printed there. After the online conference she had with Sly and Tauwn earlier that afternoon, Jenna had begun researching any information that she could about both the Auteri and the mysterious Sumanitu-taka that Dominic had mentioned during his online conference with her brother. Running a paw down her face she sighed heavily. No matter how much information she searched for, the less it became credible and it frustrated her. While the Auteri were very good at keeping the attention off of them as far as their assassinations went, the Sumanitu-taka were completely off the map. In all the databases she searched, all linked through her brother's search options (he never had been good at changing his passwords and email), she could not link anything back to the Sumanitu-taka. They were as much a mystery to the cops as they were to her and it was becoming very frustrating. If only she had gotten them to speak before they had been called away and while she knew that it probably wouldn't have helped her, she couldn't shake the feeling that they would be turning up again in the near future.

Sighing through her nose she covered her mouth as a cough passed through. Though she felt much better, there were still a few effects left over from her sickness, the main one being the rather unattractive cough that would catch her off guard. Leaning her head into her open palm she sighed, her other hand scrolling through the information she was looking at before growling softly to herself when her search bore no fruit.

"You okay, Princess?"

Jenna jumped up in her seat, turning sharply to look in the intruder's direction to see Sly standing there, his brow quirked and an amused smirk tugging at his lips. Jenna couldn't help but stare at him for a few moments, a deep blush blanketing her cheeks that she hoped he couldn't see in the darkness of the room, as he stood behind her donned in a dark blue crewneck sweater with the sleeves pushed up his forearms. It was one of the few times that the wolf could see his paws as he was not wearing his gloves (an oddity in and of itself), and his hair was slightly askew, spiking up in the front and expressing that he had probably been sleeping. As it turned out, when the gang wasn't on the job or wasn't searching for their next objective (at least in recent events) that they slept to make up for the sleep they seemingly lost. The wolf couldn't help as her eyes traced his, expressing her surprise at his sudden appearance. It was strange that she hadn't heard him sooner.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Maybe just a little," Jenna admitted sheepishly as she sighed finally. Sly chuckled before grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the computer, moving her out of the way before logging out of the page she was on before smiling at her.

"Take a walk with me?"

"Sly, it's almost two in the morning."

The raccoon simply smirked before examining her dress, noting that she was in shorts and that it was probably not the best attire to wear outside in her recovery stage. "Never stopped us before, go get into a pair of pants and we'll go."

The wolf crossed her arms over her chest and pouted childishly at him, "I don't wanna."

With his smirk widening, Sly grabbed her hands and pulled her towards her room before stopping and leaning closer to her ear, "I promise that I'll make it worth your while."

With a roll of her eyes and an exasperated groan of displeasure, Jenna moved passed him all the while smiling to show that she was simply joking before closing the door. As the wolf moved into her room she couldn't help the fluttering sensation she was beginning to get in her stomach and she withheld the excited squeal that groped its way up her throat, fully aware that Sly would be able to hear it if she allowed it to pass her lips. She managed to pull on her tighter pair of thieving pants and her boots before replacing her large hoodie with a grey crewneck sweater and a light jacket. As she walked out of her room she grabbed a band in case she needed to tie her hair back before a wide smile spread across her lips as Sly was waiting by the safe house door with his gloves hanging out of his back pocket, his lock-pick kit fastened to his thigh.

"Ready to go?"

Jenna nodded, grabbing her gloves off of the counter and smiling as he offered his arm to her. The walk was quiet, but not uncomfortable by any means as the two simply walked in contentment. After a few moments, Jenna turned her head to glance up at the raccoon, a curious smile twitching at her lips. "So, where is it we're going?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." Sly answered with a secretive smile. The wolf stared at him for a few moments before chuckling softly to herself and shaking her head.

"So, it's a surprise now? I thought we were only taking a walk."

The raccoon did not glance at her, yet his voice conveyed his smile perfectly, "Since when do I ever just _take a walk_, Princess?"

"Touché."

"So how has the search been going?"

Jenna sighed softly through her nose before brushing her bangs out of her eyes, "Not too good. There's absolutely no information on the Sumanitu-taka in _every _database that I look into. It's like they've literally kept themselves secluded on purpose."

The raccoon considered this for a moment before nodding his head, "It would make sense," he began slowly, "Considering what happened to the Auteri, the probably thought that it would happen to them – especially since your mother was involved with the Auteri by marriage."

"That actually does make sense," Jenna nodded after a moment, "However; the lack of information at _all_ is extremely frustrating. It doesn't help that they left no clues for me to follow in order to find out where they even are."

"What about the rose?"

Jenna paused in her thoughts before frowning, "I hadn't even considered that."

"Did you get any more since that one in Monaco?"

"No," Jenna recalled softly as she allowed Sly to lead her into the streets of Paris. "At least, none that I've noticed. The last one was left at my hotel doorstep and I had heard a knock on the door…almost like they were waiting to see if I had even received it."

"And you haven't gotten one since then at all?" When the wolf shook her head, Sly frowned in thought, "What was it that the parchment attached to it had said?"

"_All birds, even those of the same species, are not alike, and it is the same with animals and with human beings. The reason WakanTanka does not make two birds, or animals, or human beings exactly alike is because each is placed here by WakanTanka to be an independent individually, and to rely upon itself…_"

"You memorized it?"

Jenna blushed sheepishly, "Well, I've been obsessing over it for a while."

Sly shook his head before thinking over the quote once more, "It sounds to me like they want you to figure it out."

"Why do you say that?"

The raccoon sighed before trying to recall the first sentence, "_All birds, even of the same species aren't alike and it's the same with animals and human beings_," He quoted, "Think about it – even if they're the same species they aren't alike. It makes me think that it's not specifically talking about us, but pertains to what we are as well. Citizens, police officers, workers, thieves and even assassins."

"Okay, so what about the rest of the quote?" Jenna questioned with a frown, "_The reason WakanTaka does not make two birds, or animals, or human beings exactly alike is because each is placed here by WakanTanka to be an independent individually, and to rely upon itself._"

"Simple; they picked the quote to make you find your own way back to them." Sly answered after a moment of thought, "Think about it, you assume that it was your mother who left you the quote right?"

"Right," Jenna nodded in confirmation.

"So if she's really the one who left it for you, wouldn't you think that she'd have faith that you'd be able to figure out what she means?"

The wolf pondered this for a few moments before sighing softly, a small smile twitching at her lips. While Sly hadn't said it condescendingly, she knew he was trying to emphasize that he had faith in her and that she wasn't alone in figuring out the mystery behind the Sumanitu-taka. It suddenly felt as if a large weight had lifted from her chest and she smiled up at him happily, "Thanks Sly."

"You're always welcome, Princess." He smirked at her before turning his eyes to the path they were taking. After a few more paces he stopped and turned to the wolf attached to his arm. "Okay, from here on out you have to close your eyes."

"So how am I going to get to wherever we're going?"

Sly chuckled before turning around and squatting, looking at her over his shoulder and hiding the smirk she knew was there. "Your chariot awaits you, my lady."

The wolf laughed softly before jumping onto his back gracefully, locking her arms around his neck and making sure it was loose as to not choke him. "Why thank you kind sir." Sly stood straight and grinned, though it was hidden from Jenna's eyes.

"Alright, from here on out I'm going to trust that your eyes are closed."

"Don't worry, I promise."

"Good."

Jenna locked her legs around his waist as she felt him grab onto the nearest pipe and begin to climb so that he was on the rooftop just above them. As promised, Jenna kept her eyes closed throughout all of the jumps and turns, smiling widely whenever she would feel the two of them catch air-time from a jump Sly had preformed and for a moment she wished she could have seen the world through his eyes. Despite the near-depressing nature of the thought it only brought her more excitement for what she foresaw in her future. Suddenly she could feel Sly's muscles rippling in his shoulders and back as he began to climb once more, what he was climbing she wasn't sure, but she could feel his legs moving underneath hers. After Sly had managed to hit solid ground once more he squeezed her thigh and she unlocked her legs from his waist and allowed her arms to fall from his neck.

"Stay still for a minute and keep your eyes closed," He smirked and the wolf feigned a huff of exasperation, earning another laugh from the raccoon. "I mean it." When she laughed he shook his head, making his way towards the door and reached into his pouch to remove his lock-picks, swiftly unlocking the door and replacing the tools back into his pouch. "Alright, let's go. I'll tell you when to open." Jenna blushed around the smile on her face as he grasped her by her hands and led her forwards, closing the door after her and she vaguely heard him press a button before the two began to lift upwards. The wolf shuddered as a cool breeze brushed passed her cheeks and her brow quirked in confusion.

Hadn't they just passed a door of some kind?

Before Jenna could inquire the nature of their location she felt the lifting sensation stop, only for the breeze to become a bit stronger. Finally, Sly led her forwards once more before releasing one of her hands and turning so his back was to her once more before leading her towards his back, "Hop back on."

"You know, this surprise is a little tedious isn't it?"

"Tedious, but worth it," He chuckled as her arms locked around his neck once more. He couldn't believe how unbelievably light the wolf was. He had initially thought she would be heavier thanks to the muscle she had developed while being a dancer, gymnast and even a martial artist, but she remained as light as she looked and he had to constantly look down to make sure her arms were still around his neck and her legs were locked around his waist to confirm that she was still on his back. "Hold on," He commanded softly as he reached the pipe he had been searching for before beginning his climb.

Jenna could feel her face heating up despite the cool air ruffling her fur and she buried her face into the back of Sly's neck if only to hide a little bit. She had protested the raccoon being around her in the event that he catch pneumonia from her, but this was a welcomed change as his body heat matched hers and kept her warm. She never thought how strong the raccoon was, but being attached to his back she could feel each and every one of his muscles at work as he continued to climb. Holding in her more girlish fantasy she couldn't help the emotions that stirred within her. Only a few months ago now she had gotten out of a terrible relationship that left her slightly depressed and wanting of a relationship like the one her cousins had together and without a second thought it had happened. While she had her own baggage she knew she could trust the raccoon to help her through it. Smiling at the thought she counted her lucky stars. How had she ever gotten someone as sweet as Sly Cooper she would never know, but she was thankful for it and did not plan to mess it up for his own sake.

Sly's laughter brought her from her thoughts and she almost opened her eyes, but remembered he had not yet told her to open them. "You still awake back there, Princess?"

"Of course I am," The wolf blushed earning another laugh from the raccoon as he squeezed her leg once more.

"You can let go now, just be careful when you step down and hold on to me." The wolf did as told and stepped down carefully to find that the base underneath her was small and she held tightly to Sly, the raccoon releasing her hands and holding them and bracing her against him. He then wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady before leaning back and balancing her weight. "Alright, you can open your eyes now."

Slowly, the wolf did as instructed, her eyes widening at the sight before them. In front of her was the entire view of the city of Paris, the lights blinking from the clubs and restaurants that were still open as well as the lights that lined each of the city streets for those who wished to walk around at the late hour. She could make out the cars that were still traveling as well and even the skyline from the next city over. She could feel Sly chuckle from where she leaned against his side before looking up at him. "Sly, this is beautiful."

"Well, I did remember you talking about how you weren't really able to see the stars from where you were in the U.S, so I figured I'd take you to the one place where you could see them."

With a confused frown, Jenna looked up passed him to see the French flag waving gently in the cool night breeze before she figured out where they were, "Sly, you didn't take me to the Eiffel Tower did you!?"

Sly only smirked before nodding, "Like I said, I took you to the one place where you'd be able to see them."

For a few moments it was silent and the two of them simply watched the stars. She knew that it was a casual hobby for the raccoon to study the stars and constellations as he was interested in the way the solar systems worked and he was secretly a fan of Neil Armstrong, the first armadillo to walk on the moon. It was something the two of them shared as the stars represented something close to the both of them. The wolf smiled as she remembered their time in Monaco as they looked up at the stars after Sly's late-night swimming lessons. Sighing contentedly the wolf nuzzled herself into the raccoon's side and smiled.

"Thank you, Sly."

"It's always my pleasure, Princess." The wolf smiled, content at the pet name he always called her and she couldn't help but think that she was luckier than every other girl in those romance movies – what guy took any of those girls to the _top_ of the _Eiffel Tower_? She knew that if Stevie and Kurt were there they both would have been jealous of the opportunity as it had been something that Kurt had always wanted to do, but neither he or Stevie had time to do it. Shaking the thought of her two friends for the moment she basked in the warmth that Sly provided her with. The silence was comfortable and neither one broke it in favor of simply being in the company of the other.

After what felt like hours, Sly cleared his throat, earning the attention of the wolf and she looked up at him with a light hum of inquiry. "Jenna," the raccoon looked down at the female under his arm to see that he had her full attention at the mention of her name rather then the pet name he normally used, "I just want you to know that, no matter what happens, that I care about you…" The wolf was silent for a moment before turning her head away and looking back out over the city.

"I know you do," She smiled contentedly, "I hope you know I care about you too."

"I know," Sly smiled before pulling away from her slightly. Jenna quirked a brow at him as she looked at him, but as soon as her faced turn she could feel Sly's mouth upon hers. Her eyes, widened from shock before fluttering closed, relishing in the feeling of her heart beating wildly in her chest and the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It was light and sweet and as the raccoon made to pull away, Jenna followed him with a new found fire that burned through her veins as she caught his mouth with her own. As the two pulled away the wolf couldn't help but relish in the fact that perhaps that sappy romance movie ending could happen to any girl, but she _knew_ that those girls in the romance movies had nothing on her!

* * *

YAY! (Cues audience with AWWWWs!)

Okay so some mush for all of you :) Don't you wish you were Jenna - I know I do :P Haha anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and remember; Reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update! :D

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	16. A Scary Notion

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Hello ladies and gentlemen! I'm so happy to be back :D I'm so sorry for the lengthy period of no updataes :( Thanks to Sandy I had a hard time getting this update done since I needed the internet in order to get the dialogue (for those who don't know – I watch youtube videos that do walkthroughs of the game so I can get the dialogue -_-) but I am here with an update! FINALLY! So let's get to it 'cause I have a lot of you to reply to for your reviews :D

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 15**: _Aryabloodlust, Shiningheart of ThunderClan, xxxjetgirlxxx, boona, Papercut, The Loud Kitchen Ninja, Carmen Veiga, SilverSea123, BananaB0mb, Razor of DOOM, Undead Shadow, Why Fireflies Flash, GraNNIeShufflez03, Keyblades of Oblivion, srade9779 _and _KeraCooper20_

_Aryabloodlust - _Aww thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoy this story :D And I apologize for the long update :P I'd never get bored of this story :) Thank you again for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_Shiningheart of ThunderClan – _LMAO oh no! I definitely feel you – I wouldn't be able to awe at that hour either :P Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well :D

_xxxjetgirlxxx – _Haha no problem, I'm glad to have generated some inspiration! Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well!

_boona – _Aww thanks! I'm really excited about this story's progress as well :D Haha I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and thank you for your review :)

_Papercut – _LOL your reviews are always so entertaining :D I hope you enjoy this next chapter and thank you for your review!

_The Loud Kitchen Ninja – _LMAO I guarantee that you aren't the only one :) I just enjoy long-drawn out romances…if they happen too quickly I get bored haha. But thank you so much for your review and I'm so happy you enjoyed this last chapter – hope the same can be said about this one too :D

_Carmen Veiga – _Ahahahahahahahhaha! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_SilverSea123 – _I'm so sorry for the long update :( but I'm so happy you liked the last chapter :D I'm sure you may have mentioned it before lol, but I'm always happy to hear it again! Anyways, thank you for your review and I hope you liked this chapter as well :D

_BananaB0mb – _Haha thank you so much – I'm glad that you forgive me :D And I'm even more happy that you enjoyed this chapter! I thank you for your generous reviews, as always it seems :D, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Razor of DOOM – _Haha that's okay, I'm glad you still found time to stop by and read the chapter :) I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well!

_Undead Shadow – _Yeah right? Me too lol, but I'm happy you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your review and I hope you like this chapter as well :)

_Why Fireflies Flash – _OMG AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH A! I can't even lie to you – I just spent the last five minutes laughing at my computer like a loser xD I totally agree with you! And yes! I'm finally back :) Such a great feeling – seriously lol! Oh no :( I hope you feel better! Yes, Stevie and Kurt will be making an appearance later on in the story :) Don't worry – they're secretly my favorite out of my OCs so I have to have them back ;) And absolutely no problem! I'm happy to do it lol. Anyway thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well :D

_GraNNIeShufflez03 – _LMAO I love you Thunderbuddy! Thanks for the review love and I hope you like this chapter as well ;)

_Keyblades of Oblivion – _Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I'm so happy that you love Jenna and that you think so highly of her! I'm seriously speechless…and thank you :) I like adding my own original plot! Thank you so much for your amazing review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_srade9779 – _Haha yes, it's my favorite part of the entire game and I can't _not_ do it…but of course with my own twists ;) Thank you for your review and I hope you like this next chapter as well :D

_The Murray – _LMAO thank you so much for the entertaining review – as always :D I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_KeraCooper20 – _Thank you so much for your review and I'm so happy you love the story :D That makes me so happy to hear! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Without further adieu…ON WITH THE FIC!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
16_

The kiss from a few nights before had been quickly forgotten about as soon as the gang pulled up to their safe house just outside of the Contessa's estate. A part of Jenna was on edge due to the fact that her brother could very well be around any corner, but the other part of her held a deep seeded concern for Sly. Since entering the Czech Republic, the raccoon had become tense and more silent than a grave leaving the wolf to talk to Bentley and Murray, both of whom were almost as silent as the only sounds in the van was the whirring of the engine and Sly's scratches within the _Thievius Raccoonus_.

The wolf spent most of her time occupying herself with the passing scenery that she wasn't able to view during her last trip as well as using Bentley's computer as a hotspot so she could do more research into her mother's assassin clan. She recalled vividly that Dominic, her father's brother, had spoken very highly of the Sumanitu-taka despite the seeming rivalry between them. If the circumstances had been any different she probably would have asked her mysterious uncle about them or even asked for his help as far as training her. At the thought a dull pain began to form between her eyes and she knew this feeling to be a warning from her father, of whom was still technically trapped within her subconscious.

These thoughts whirled inside of her head as she helped move Bentley's equipment into the safe house. Though the thought of Carmelita never really surfaced to mind often, partially because Jenna didn't really know her too well (only as an acquaintance thanks to Lawrence), the wolf couldn't help but hope that the vixen was alright. She recalled vaguely that Carmelita had been arrested with Sly and Murray in India and there had been no sign of her at the Contessa's rehabilitation center (the wolf had actually taken the time to search while trying to find Sly and Murray) and she only hoped that the Latina was still alive.

"Jenna."

The wolf shook her head quickly before turning her eyes to Sly, who had addressed her, to see that he was staring at her with a furrowed brow. Jenna's brow quirked slightly in confusion before she sighed, "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I asked if you were going to put the computer down any time soon."

_Blink_.

"Oh," Jenna deadpanned slightly before depositing the computer onto the table and rubbing her forehead in exasperation, "Sorry…I've been a bit preoccupied."

Sly shook his head, though his lips quirked into a half-smile. "It's alright; we've all got reasons to be a bit spaced today." He watched as Jenna offered him a weak smile in return before turning to help hook up a few of the computers that Bentley hadn't gotten to yet. The raccoon sighed to himself before turning as his reptilian friend's footsteps stopped next to his own.

"She'll be okay," Bentley commented quietly to his younger friend as to not be heard by the wolf. Sly shook his head slowly, watching as she continued to hook up the computers.

"It's not about that," He commented softly, "I'm worried that this is heating up too quickly for her. She's not used to what we do Bentley."

The reptile turned his eyes to where Jenna was untangling wires before sighing, "Sly, you have to have faith in her. She wants to help us out, but at the moment it's to keep us safe."

"That's what I'm worried about." Sly frowned suddenly, "With this other plot against her I don't know what she's going to do."

The turtle frowned, "Well neither one of us can speculate what's not there. We don't know how she's going to act so we can't consider it…all we can do for now is wait and take it as it comes – you taught Murray and myself that a long time ago, remember?"

Sly chuckled suddenly, nodding his head in agreement. It was true; normally the raccoon was the "just go with it" kind of guy, but with his and the wolf's new relationship he didn't want to lose her before they could be together in a less tense environment. He recalled the way she had acted in the last month and knew that there were many sides to the wolf he currently found his affections yearning for. She was passionate and liked to have a good time, but there were small quirks to her that easily set her temper off – something Sly was no stranger to as he enjoyed poking the embers of her temper for the reaction as he found her rather endearing while angry. However, when she was on a job she was all business and nothing less – he had bore witness to this side of her while she had been talking to her cousin about the Contessa's location and even more so while she was trying to break the secret to her mother's side of the family. It didn't necessarily set him on edge, but he wasn't sure if he particularly enjoyed this side of her as it was rather new to him. Even the differences they had when they first met did not measure up to how she acted while working and it put him off, but at the same time he understood her desperation…he had gone through it no more than two years ago. He vaguely wondered if this had been how Bentley and Murray had felt while dealing with him during that time and even well before that while waiting for him to be released from the orphanage.

"Alright Bentley," Jenna smiled from behind the binocucom station and tossing the wrench she had used off to the side, "We're all set up as far as your equipment is concerned. All we need to do now is start this mission!"

"Guess that's my cue, huh?" The raccoon chuckled before spinning his cane in his hand, a habit he had when he was anticipating a job. "I'll wait for your orders captain!" He joked with a tip of his hat before slipping out of the door. Jenna shook her head before hitting the power button to Sly's monitor and moving so that Bentley could have a seat at the station.

"Okay here's the plan. First, take some recon photos around the area...then make your way up to the re-education tower."

Jenna and Murray leaned over Bentley's shoulder as Sly surveyed the area, pointing at the tallest tower of the Contessa's estate, his voice sounding almost hesitant as he zoomed, "_Sounds…pleasant enough_."

Bentley gulped, his only sign of agreement before Sly's binocucom zoomed on the tanks that were patrolling the area around their safe house, "Oh and stay clear of tanks - you know, so you don't get blown up into little sticky pieces."

"_Your confidence in my abilities astounds me, Bentley_."

Before the reptile could comment, Sly's binocucom had disconnected leaving the remaining members of the gang to await his return. In the meantime, Jenna decided it would be best to do some scouting of her own. Tugging her jacket over her light grey hoodie she sighed before reentering the room where Bentley was situated with his binocucom station, commenting on the pictures that Sly was sending him periodically and where Murray was coloring in the new book that the wolf had picked up for him.

"Bentley," Jenna called him as she tied her dark hair back away from her face only to sigh irritably as her bangs fell back into her eyes, "I'm heading out to do some scouting around the area – I want to make sure that we have every inch of the land covered."

Bentley briefly looked up from his computer, removing his headset as to not allow Sly to hear him. "Just be careful Jenna, we all know you're on edge because of Sam…if anything happens do not hesitate to call one of us."

"Don't worry," She smiled, "I won't."

Bentley and Murray watched as the wolf slinked out of the door before the hippo turned to his younger friend, "Is Jenna gonna be alright?"

"I'm sure she will," Bentley answered, "She's a lot tougher than she looks."

Murray nodded, "Yeah…I guess you're right." After a moment's pause he spoke once again, "Do you think that Jenna's gonna be with us for a while? I mean, isn't she desperate to find her family and stuff?"

Bentley considered the question for a moment before sighing. It was true – the more dangerous the missions were becoming the more focused Jenna had become in finding out the roots to her heritage. It didn't come as a surprise to Bentley when he truly thought about it; Jenna had grown up in a troubled environment and to suddenly find out that she had a family that was apparently doing fine without her was troubling to say the very least. The turtle couldn't imagine what it was like if he or even Sly and Murray had been brought to the orphanage only to later find out that their parents were still around and leading a normal life without them…it only made him wonder what truly was going on in her head. Surely she was upset that her mother had not contacted her over the last few years, but there was so much understanding leveled in her being that Bentley almost felt a little jealous at her ability to forgive. As he digested the question that Murray had asked him, Bentley realized that he truly did not know what Jenna was going to do. She had mentioned wanting to train in order to become stronger, in order to understand her abilities that scarily enough mirrored Sly's abilities to find what they all have dubbed _thieving opportunities_. With these thoughts in mind the turtle could only shrug in response to his friend's query.

"It's hard to say."

Murray digested the statement for a few moments before sighing, "I hope she stays…I've always wanted a little sister. Don't get me wrong Bentley, you and Sly are great, but –"

"I understand, Murray," Bentley almost laughed, "I've always wanted one too."

"Really!?" Murray grinned, "That's so cool!"

oOo

Jenna frowned as she looked around the area, her hazel eyes narrowed on the tanks that continuously patrolled the streets, their blue spotlights scaling the cobblestone streets and the walls as they passed. The wolf had been contacted by her cousin a few hours ago and now that she was able to scan the area she decided that it was best to answer him back.

"_What's up kid?_"

The wolf sighed, ducking closer to the roof as a spotlight nearly passed where she was leaned near the edge of the roof, "You called me…have you gotten any information?"

Tauwn sighed softly from the other line, "_Yeah…listen, Jen. I'm gonna be honest with you when I say this, but how far are you willing to go?_"

"As far as this business takes me, Tee."

There was a heartbeat of silence before he replied, "_And you're positive? Jen, there's no going back to a normal life after we make this step…You contact these wolves and that's the end of any normal life you would have thought to have. You'll forever be considered an assassin._"

"It's the chance I'm willing to take," Jenna frowned as she glanced around her and making sure her conversation was not being overheard. "Who am I meeting with?"

"_They call him _Waziyata Wicahpi (North Star)…_He'll be with another that they call _Jolpwapi Tate (Whispering Wind)…_they're brothers so if you plan on meeting with them watch your back…these guys are no joke._ _You'll find them in _Král Bydliště Apartmány, _apartment 678C…it means King's Place Apartments, just ask around if you can't find it. It'll be the apartment building closest to the canal…it's about a ten minute run Southeast from where you are if you take the rooftops_."

After a moment of silence the wolf sighed, "Thanks Tee…I'll let you know how it goes."

Tauwn was silent before replying, "_If you're so sure that this is what you want to do, then I support you and so does Mel._"

"I know," She sighed softly, "I really appreciate all the help, but I feel as if we're going to need all the help we can get. Especially with Sam slowly pressing the media…they shouldn't have an issue with helping me out."

"_Just remember that you've never met these guys – we don't know if they'll be totally willing._"

Jenna nodded, though she knew that he couldn't see her, "With what I have to offer them...they won't be able to refuse."

oOo

As the last photo came through the monitor, Bentley leaned over to the computer, activating his mic. "Okay Sly, head up to the re-education tower. I suspect, that's where we'll find the Clockwerk Eyes! The door is locked from the inside, try and make your way around to the tower's window."

"_You got it,_" The raccoon stated. It was always strange to Bentley how Sly's voice changed while he was on a job. Normally the raccoon was flippant and sarcastic, but for this job he seemed to be all business. The turtle could only assume that it was because of what the Contessa had done to them only a month prior – the raccoon always did have a taste for revenge since he was younger and Bentley could only conclude that it came from his father's death. The turtle was shaken from his thoughts when Sly's voice came through the speakers of the computer.

"_Bentley, there's more than just the Clockwerk Eyes up here…_"

"Turn on your binocucom's speaker so I can catch what they're saying."

Sly did not respond, but the turtle was suddenly able to catch the audio in the room. As he turned up the speaker, the door opened and closed as Jenna reappeared, shaking her head to rid herself of the chill she had gotten from being outside. As Carmelita's voice came over the speakers, the wolf's eyes narrowed in confusion, her ears flattening to her head.

"_**Why are you doing this?!**_" The fox growled loudly as she attempted to break free, "_**Neyla, she set me up. I'm an honest cop!**_"

"_**Of course you are.**_" The Contessa stated flippantly, the light sounds of machines echoed in the background as well as clicking that Jenna could only assume was buttons being pressed,"_**I've read your psychological profile...I know that you're honest.**_"

There was a grunt of effort before Carmelita's voice filtered through the speakers once more, "_**Then why are you doing this to me?**_"

"_**Because dear, you're honest**_," The Contessa answered, "_**You see, by chasing after Sly Cooper you learned too much about the Klaww Gang and it's spice operation. It was only a matter of time before you figured out that I was a secret member...so when Neyla have me a chance to put you in custody, I took it**_."

"_**Coward! You're a disgrace to Interpol! I'll make it my life's work to **_**destroy**_** you**_."

"_**Oh, I'm afraid your life, let alone your "life's work" isn't going to last much longer.**_" The arachnid mocked, her accented voice almost spiteful,"_**Once I integrate the Clockwerk Eyes into this device your "life's work" will be whatever I tell you**_."

"_**I won't be brainwashed that easily**_." Jenna couldn't help but admire Carmelita's determination. She was a well seasoned cop and the wolf respected the fact that she was not going to go down without a fight. If she and the fox weren't on different sides of the law, there probably could have been a solid friendship. Her ears twitched when the Contessa spoke once more.

"_**Quite right, it won't be easy...or painless. But I **_**will**_** reprogram your mind and you **_**will**_** take the fall for me at Interpol.**_" She crowed, almost frustrated with the fox's ability to resist her hypnosis. It was clear to Jenna that even with the Clockwerk Eyes to aid her, Carmelita was not going to be broken down any time in the near future. But given that the Contessa had such a powerful artifact in her grasp, they didn't have much time to help her if they were going to help the policewoman out."_**Now, just lay back and relax, go to your happy place and stay there forever**_."

After a brief pause, waiting for the conversation to continue, Bentley decided it was best to speak to his friend. "I don't think they've seen you. Take a few photos and get out of there."

"_No..._" Sly argued back, clearly desperate, "_I've got to help Carmelita, she's in trouble here!_"

"There's nothing you can do now! Get the recon photos and come back to the safe house!" It was clear that Bentley was frustrated with his younger friend and his obsession to aid the female fox whenever she was in a pinch, but after a moment of brief thought and claming himself he sighed, "I _swear_…we'll find a way to help her."

There was a thick moment of silence before the raccoon sighed, "_You're a good man Bentley…thank you_."

"Yeah," The turtle sighed a he pinched his nose, "Don't mention it."

"Jenna?"

Bentley turned his attention to the wolf who stood further behind the binocucom station with a torn look on her face. It was clear that she was deep in her thoughts and that she was having an internal argument with herself, but the turtle now worried for what she thought and if it had anything to do with the way Sly had so strongly fought for Carmelita's freedom. After a moment of allowing her to think more, Bentley called her name, watching as she seemed to jump back into reality.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

Murray and Bentley shared a look before the hippo spoke, "Are you alright?"

Jenna turned her eyes briefly to her older friend before offering him a forced smile that seemed to suffice for the hippo and one that Bentley saw through clearly, "Yeah, I was just thinking is all…there's something weird going on…it's like the Contessa purposely didn't mention the fact that she's been working closely with Sam and the Auteri."

"Yes, it is strange." Bentley agreed before frowning at her, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yep," The wolf nodded, "Never better."

Before the turtle could comment on the wolf's strange behavior the binocucom station beeped once more signaling that Sly was trying to reconnect to the speakers. Quickly turning up the volume, Bentley readjusted the mic to his mouth and frowned slightly, "Sorry Sly, what'd you say?"

"_I have the pictures…they should have sent to you but we got a slight problem_."

Jenna's brow furrowed at the slight quake in the raccoon's voice before circling to the turtle's side and leaning next to his mic, "What's up Sly?"

"_You're not gonna like this Jen…_"

"It's Sam isn't it?"

Sly was silent for a few moments before his voice crackled to life through the monitor once more, "_It _is_ Sam, but he's got someone with him…it looks kinda like you, but a lot younger and more like those wolves you described to me…_"

Jenna's heart stopped, "No…"

"Sly," Bentley addressed his friend, quickly taking over the situation as Murray stood from his seat and began speaking to the wolf in an attempt to keep her calm, "Can you send me a picture for confirmation?"

"_Sure pal_."

After a moment a picture was uploaded onto the monitor and the safe house became tense and deathly silent.

* * *

Ouch...Cliffhanger :P

Sorry about that, but it is necessary and you'll see why in the coming chapters ;) Anyway, it seems as if Jenna is already questioning Sly's intentions about Carmelita...we'll see how this eventually works out ;D

Anyway, remember that reviews are lovely and appreciated but not mandatory for an update :)

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	17. Negotiations with Assassins

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary: **Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Hello ladies and gentlemen and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, if you don't that's perfectly okay: I wish you a happy and joyous holiday season :D Any who, I decided to give you all a present considering I wasn't so nice in the last chapter hee hee, but never fear, not only is a new chapter here – there is fluff…we like fluff lol :D I'll let y'all get to reading so again Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmahanakwanzika (I think I may have spelt that completely wrong, but you get my jiff…right?)

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 16**:_ xxxjetgirlxxx, Razor of DOOM, Keyblades of Oblivion, Kera Cooper20, Papercut, Carmen Veiga,__ KaiaUchiha1_

_The Loud Kitchen Ninja, bestpersonyouwilleverknow, Why Fireflies Flash, Shiningheart of ThunderClan, and BananaB0mb_

xxxjetgirlxxx – Well, we always have to keep in mind that Carmelita is technically Sly's first love. It is true what they say about it: you will always love your first love, it's just some weird thing our heart does (I know it's not true for some people, but it still is with me lol). Anyways, yeah…Sandy kicked my butt all over the northeastern part of the US…kinda annoyed me actually. Anyways, yes I saw it! I wasn't able to review quite yet – please forgive me on the late response for this, I've been hella busy :/ and of course you can call me friend ahaha! Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy the Holidays :D

_Razor of DOOM – _HAHAHAHAHAHA your review seriously had me hysterical and I hope you find no offense to that because it certainly isn't intended lol :D But no, this chapter does not have a cliffhanger….or does it? Heehee, just kidding. Anyway thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the Holidays! :D

_Keyblades of Oblivion – _I am with you 100%...I've been fortunate to have one friend like that and she'll be forever known as my roommate and fellow writer GraNNIeShufflez03. It's a hard lesson learned for certain :( Heehee, yeah…Carmelita still is a very real factor to their relationship because as sad as it is to admit, Sly's always gonna have a love for her :P But not to worry, there will be plenty of Jenna and Sly fluff to come ;) Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the Holidays :D

_Kera Cooper20 – _Haha I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! And for the other half, I would love to do it, but I currently don't have the time to :( I wouldn't want to leave your friend hanging with an OC, that wouldn't be fair – so I have to decline, I'm sorry :/ And lol, thank you so much for the small song :D It was awesome and made my day haha. Hope you enjoy the Holidays!

_Papercut – _Haha, your reviews never cease to entertain me :D thanks so much for the review and I hope you enjoy the Holidays :D

_Carmen Veiga – _Heehee good guess :D You'll definitely be finding out this chapter ;) Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the Holidays :D

_KaiaUchiha1 – _Sorry :/ I was finishing up my semester and was slammed with projects, reports and articles I had to finish…not to mention finals. Updates should be coming a little faster now that I have time off, but it's not a safe guarantee thanks to the small bout of writers block I've been smacked with, but I'll try and update faster. I'm glad you enjoyed it :) As for Jenna's "realizing who she truly is", she's well aware of it, it's just a point of her acting upon it and figuring out the rest of what is happening around her. I try to create my own plot underneath the main plot set down by either a movie or game because I feel it adds more depth…I'm not a huge fan of an OC being thrown into the center of a story that's already been fully developed without some sort of story to follow along with them. But you'll be seeing that as we get into the final pieces of the Sly 2 plotline. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the Holiday :)

_The Loud Kitchen Ninja – _Heehee, necessary tension that's all :) I won't be adding a huge cliffhanger like that for a while at least. But thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy the Holiday :D

_bestpersonyouwilleverknow – _First of all, I'm in love with your username lmao! It's awesome! And secondly, thank you so much! I'm a huge fan of wolves myself :) and I hope you find this chapter just as awesome! Again, thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy the Holiday :D

_Why Fireflies Flash _– It's so nice to hear from you again :D lol, I almost wondered if those college apps and workload had swallowed you up within the bowels of paper and…more paper lmao. I'm just kidding, I hope everything went well :) Anyway, I know, I'm so sorry for my cliffhangers, but I love them so much! Heehee, you'll see soon enough ;D And thank you, as always! And you're right, but you'll find out this chapter lol. But it actually does sound like that, now that I reread it…I had watched the movie earlier that day and it may have slipped in there (shrugs) :D Anyway thanks for your amazing review and I hope you enjoy the Holiday :D

_Shiningheart of Thunderclan – _You're absolutely right and I'm so, SO, happy you picked up on that. I've noticed a lot of stories will immediately rule out Carmelita and I want her to still remain active throughout this entire plot :D And not to worry…you're going to soon find out ;) Anyway thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy the Holiday :D

_BananaB0mb – _Now you know that I'm okay with late reviews lol :D I know how rough life can get lol. YES! Thank you for noticing it…I was hoping someone would heehee. You're going to see it darken a little more until it begins to lighten up again…but you'll see what I mean :) Anyway thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy the Holiday :D

Without further adieu…ON WITH THE FIC!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :)

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
17_

Sly frowned softly as he gazed at the wolf, her pacing wearing a trail into the old carpet that blanketed their safe house floor. She had not stopped pacing since Bentley had run through the next set of jobs to escalate the war between the Contessa and Neyla and manipulate it to their advantage, hopefully killing not only two birds with one stone, but _three_.

"Jenna?"

The wolf briefly turned her eyes to Murray before pausing in her endless trek enough to listen to what he had to say. Sly was aware that out of the current members of the Cooper gang, Murray was the only one she particularly went out of her way to listen to and when the raccoon had asked her about it she admitted that it was because she saw him as family, despite his odd habit of eating crayons and his rather flamboyant personality.

"We'll get 'im! Don't you worry; _The Murray_ will take down any that stand in his way!"

Jenna couldn't help but chuckle at the hippo's enthusiasm. The time had passed by quickly as the wolf pondered what to do. Her meeting with the brothers had been postponed until she was able to find a break within the jobs set by Bentley – there had to be at least one person in the safe house at once and while she knew this, she couldn't help but feel as if her side job was beginning to be of a greater importance. Glancing briefly at the photos on the corkboard, her eyes focused in on the young pup that scarily resembled her with the exception of the wolf being a male, however, she couldn't deny the color of his eyes – the same green and golden brown of her father's as well as the grey fur that covered his body, the exception being the mask created by his fur was white and not crème. The pup in the photo looked both terrified and frustrated in an attempt to make himself seem as if he was defiant, but his eyes gave way to his true fear. The longer she stared at the photo, the more frustrated she became. Without a word to the raccoon or the hippo, Jenna turned and grabbed her jacket off of the coat rack, tugging it on over her light hoodie and disappearing behind the door before Sly or Murray could question her.

As quickly as she could she climbed the street post across the street and began to race across the rooftops in the direction her cousin had told her to a few hours before. During her run she thought about what she was going to say. She knew she had to tread carefully in order to win the brothers over – Tauwn had said that she needed to be careful. Neither one of these wolves were known to her or her own informants and that in and of itself was a scary notion to her, but it was a chance she was willing to take. She only hoped that the chances would turn in her favor.

She soon came to a stop atop of a rooftop that overlooked where her target building was and frowned softly. A feeling of extreme doubt began to surface in her mind and she couldn't help the nerves that twisted in her stomach. She wanted so badly to turn and go back to the safe house and try and figure out a way to help that child that Sam seemed to be keeping captive, but the larger part of her mind argued that it wouldn't be possible to manage unless she spoke to these two wolves. For whatever reason they looked exactly like her and while she had initially brushed it off as coincidence or a pairing of their breed, she couldn't deny the fact that even for the brief moment she had been in contact with them she felt undeniably connected to them somehow. Shaking these thoughts from her head, Jenna heaved a heavy sigh before sliding down a pipe and crossing the street. For a moment she wasn't sure how she was going to go about tackling the situation, but she decided upon a direct approach. Glancing briefly at the numbers of the apartments she found the one labeled 678C and hit the buzzer, after a moment the door unlatched and she pushed it open and made her way inside.

While in the elevator, Jenna couldn't help all of the thoughts that bubbled inside of her head but she knew she had to compose herself and quickly. If what Tauwn had said was accurate then she would have to compose herself and make sure she was prepared for the worst. The reality of her cousin's words had begun to seep in, but she still didn't mind the idea of being forever considered an assassin…that was her heritage wasn't it? As she neared the door she paused. If she knocked now there would be no going back on anything. Mustering a deep sigh to calm her nerves, Jenna raised her paw and knocked on the door, pausing in hopes it would be answered right away and when there was no immediate answer she knocked again.

"Who are you?"

Jenna's eyes focused on the green that stared back at her as the wolf pulled the door open and was blocking her from entering. She took the brief moment she had to study him as he bore a remarkable resemblance to her father. His fur was a slate grey with crème colored patches around both of his eyes and running from his lower lip down the front of his neck, disappearing behind the dark blue hooded sweatshirt he wore and appearing only as she caught site of his tail that poked out of his loose black pants – clearly a more casual look for the male. He was remarkably tall, almost as tall as Sam, with a broad chest and equally broad shoulders that narrowed down to a tiny waist – it was clear he was very well built as the hoodie he wore seemed to only highlight his stocky build. His hair was trimmed short, lightly flicking up from where it had obviously been tousled from either exasperation or worry (as deduced from the look in his green irises), Jenna couldn't place. He was overall very handsome, but her mind immediately snapped back to what she was there for.

"I should very well be asking you the same thing," Jenna remarked with her brow raised, "I recognize you from being at the Contessa's rehabilitation center…I tracked you down from there."

The wolf frowned before stepping aside and allowing her to enter the apartment, clearly not willing to speak about the situation out in the open. As he closed the door he turned to the female and frowned, observing her quickly and finding no immediate threat, however, it did nothing to lessen his guard. "It is not polite to not introduce yourself first, but if you insist my name is _Waziyata Wicahpi_, but you may call me Nathan or Nate."

"Jenna," She answered slowly as she accepted the hand that was extended to her.

"_Tuwe ye, ciyewaye ki_?" (Who [was] it my older brother?)

Nathan frowned softly before calling back to the voice in the same language, "_Hi wayate kici niyecika_." (Come see for yourself.)

A few moments later another wolf emerged from down the hallway and he stopped in the doorway, his brows immediately furrowing over his hazel eyes. He was much skinnier than Nathan with a much lankier build, but standing nearly as tall. His fur was also grey, however, it mirrored the way Jenna's fur formed around her eyes and bleeding into her cheeks and down her neck with the exception of his fur being crème and not white like hers – his hair a little longer than the other wolf's and slightly more shaggy but not enough to bother him if he were doing something as the ends stuck out at odd angles and giving him a "just out of bed" sort of look. He wore a black crewneck with a pair of jeans, the sleeves of his sweatshirt pushed up to his elbows and exposing the dark half-sleeved tattooing that could be seen easily through his fur. He stared at the female wolf for a few moments before turning to Nathan.

"_Taku wiya waeco lel_?" (What's she doing here?)

"_Mis eya mos ognake woglake Lakotuyapi na okahnige niye_," Jenna commented dryly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Both males looked at one another before the other wolf scoffed loudly.

"You may be able to speak and understand our language, but you've yet to define the reason as to why you're here."

"You never asked me." The wolf growled loudly in warning, but this did not faze Jenna as she turned her eyes to meet Nathan's as he sighed.

"You'll have to forgive Jeremy, Jenna. It has been a trying two months for us."

The female frowned softly making sure she was on her guard, just as Tauwn had suggested to her, "I can relate…"

Jeremy scoffed quietly, waving his paw and making his way into the kitchen and further ignoring the exchange that was occurring. Nathan rolled his eyes at his younger brother before turning his eyes to the female wolf and gesturing to the sofa behind her, "Please, take a seat and we can discuss what you're here for." Jenna waited as he took a seat before mimicking him, carefully watching him and keeping her ears out for the other wolf who she could only assume was called _Jolpwapi Tate_. Nathan observed her all the same, tracing her features and finding that she bore a scary resemblance to his father and his younger brothers, but he quickly shook these thoughts from his mind as he noticed her tensing as Jeremy's footsteps returned from the kitchen. "You needn't worry about your safety…we don't attack unless attacked first."

Jenna turned her eyes to meet his amused irises before she snorted, "No offense, but I'd rather not take any chances."

"Respectable," Nathan shrugged before accepting the coffee mug from his brother, who stood off to the side as was custom for when they had someone of questionable intention in their apartment, "But unnecessary. Now, what is it that we can do for you?"

"As I'm sure you've noticed there is a conflict happening further along the outskirts of the city."

"Yes," Nathan nodded, "We're aware of the conflict between Interpol and the Contessa…we've been tracking her for the last few months in search of something that she's taken from us."

Jeremy growled, "Nate shut up."

The older wolf did not seem to mind as he continued, "She's been working along side of a gang that stole the parts to a historical terror…my brother and I believe that they plan on doing greater harm than just pumping people with illegal spices."

"The Klaww gang," Jenna nodded with a frown, "I'm working closely with another group who is trying to steal back the parts to destroy them." Jeremy and Nathan shared a brief glance but Jenna continued, "However, I have also run into a problem more personally…I'm sure you gentlemen are familiar with the Interpol officer Samuel Sheppard?" She noticed the wolves bristle slightly at the name and she frowned, "He's been working closely with members of the Klaww Gang, the Contessa specifically, as well as members of the Auteri –"

"Impossible!" Jeremy snapped as he pushed off of the wall and stepped closer to where Jenna and his brother were sitting, "They were wiped out by Clockwerk years ago."

"_Wowahwa, _Jeremy."

"You mean to tell me that you believe this mutt!?"

Jenna bristled dangerously, but was quick to remind herself that she had to keep her composure. If she were to do anything out of line then she could very well end up dead and that was something she wanted to avoid. She knew she had to prove that she was of the Auteri and she hoped her father was able to see the predicament she was in, but no matter how much she searched for him she could not feel him and she sighed. She then remembered the necklace that her cousin, Melissa, had sent to her a few weeks ago. At the time Jenna had not understood what the chain and token had been for, but she decided to take a chance and hope that it was the right kind of relic of her assassin clan. Reaching into her scooped neck she pulled the charm from its confines and flashed it at the two arguing brothers, who paused to stare at the trinket. "If you haven't believed this _mutt_ so far, you may want to start." She frowned as she flashed the beautifully tinted disk at them.

Nathan peered at the disk, his eyes flicking to hers, "Would you mind if I looked at it closer?" Jenna shrugged and slipped it off of her neck before handing it across the coffee table to him. He turned it around in his paws, his eyes scanning the disk for any signs of forgery. The disk was thin and nearly weightless, made of a finely crafted rose gold that had a bright pink rose centered in the middle with a black ribbon crossing behind it and finishing underneath it. Around the rose were symbols that had been burned into the gold in order to represent each clan of the order of the assassins, and when he flipped it over to the back he was able to make out the Italian that was scrawled neatly there that he recognized as the tenants of the assassin's order that was set up by the founding fathers of each clan and the emblem of the Auteri founder. "Where did you get this?"

"It was sent to me," She answered, watching as he turned the charm over and over in his paws before showing it to his brother, who only scoffed. "My full name is Jenna Auteri and I come to you as a sister of the order and invoke the Creed between assassins."

Nathan and Jeremy shared another look, the older handing back her necklace as the younger scoffed, "For a member of the order to invoke the Creed of the _Fraternitatis_, would mean that there is war to be waged and quite frankly I see no need for such a right to be invoked by a _child_ of the _Auteri_…"

Jenna frowned deeply, the necklace resting in plain sight – having put it back on while Jeremy was speaking – before reaching into her jacket and pulling out a small slip of paper and she silently prayed that her efforts would be worth it, "Perhaps this will better change your mind."

"How did you get this!?" Nathan questioned hotly as he turned from the picture to the female's face, "How?"

The female frowned softly, "Recon photos taken by a member of my group…that child is not the only one being held in the Contessa's castle estate."

Jeremy frowned deeply, "What would you have us do?"

"The only thing I ask you is that you work along side of my gang…we both have a reason to go after both Samuel Sheppard and the Contessa. My concern initially sparked when I recognized the pup as looking like you," She remarked, speaking directly to Jeremy before turning her eyes back to Nathan who had become silent, "My informant had tracked you down and I put two and two together from there."

"What would you need us to do while working with you?"

Jenna's eyes flickered to the older wolf and frowned, "Samuel has been giving my group significant problems, shooting me nearly a month and a half ago now and tried to kill a member of my group back in India…I only ask for help taking care of him. The Contessa we'll deal specifically with in exchange for the pup safely."

Jeremy and Nathan looked at one another once more before the older wolf frowned, dropping the picture back on the coffee table, "We'll only help under the conditions that you exchange our youngest brother safely and unharmed, and that we may seek you for payment at a later date."

"What kind of payment?"

"A favor that weighs the same as this to be collected at another time and upon request," Nathan answered, "We try to avoid killing anyone who does not deserve it under the creed set forth by Dragon Head Ming Hwang Zhou, Don Auteri, Chief Sumanitu-taka, Czar Yurii Savinov and Gentleman Anwar Nzeogwu…the Great Compass."

The female nodded standing as Nathan stood and extending her hand. While his hand was in hers she cupped the two hands as is custom among the assassins, "You have my word on all accounts. I will let no harm come to your brother and I promise to return this favor."

Nathan nodded before turning to his brother, "Is there anything you'd like to add?"

Jenna turned her eyes to the lankier wolf who shrugged, "I'm not exactly comfortable with this exchange at all, but if you come through with our brother I will happily exchange my services at any time. You can find me and my brother again by calling this number – it connects directly to our pagers and will immediately set off a GPS wave point to your location so that we may find you and vice versa."

"Thank you both," She nodded, "I will contact you with any progress I make…and any information I gather regarding Samuel Sheppard…he needs to be stopped for the sake of our order as well as the betterment of society. He's killed an innocent man recently; his father, who was an informant of my own father."

Nathan frowned, "What was your father's name?"

"Vincent Auteri," She answered in a slightly confused hesitation, her brows pinching tightly, "Samuel killed my surrogate father, the one I grew up with: Lawrence Sheppard…I'm positive you've gotten news on that." The look shared between the brothers did not go unnoticed to the female wolf and she began to question who they truly were and why the looked so familiar with both names. Her mind was drawn from her thoughts suddenly when Jeremy's form invaded her vision and she took an involuntary step back to create space.

He eyed her carefully before extending his hand, "We'll see it done. We will be around the area of the estate to gather intelligence of our own, but should you need us in a time of emergency just…_howl_ for us."

Jenna found the request and their sudden willingness odd, but she didn't comment on it as she nodded in confirmation. Nathan offered her a jovial smile before seeing her out of their apartment. As the door closed the female couldn't help but think that things were only going to get more and more interesting for the Cooper gang, especially now that she enlisted the help of two extra assassins. As this thought crossed her mind she groaned, running a paw down the side of her face and sighing heavily, "Bentley's gonna _kill_ me."

oOo

Upon returning to the safe house, Jenna found that only Murray remained with his brow furrowed as he spoke to Bentley via the binocucom station – the pink hippopotamus attempting to give his reptilian friend advice for his job. As the door closed, he turned to see Jenna hanging up her coat and offered her a wide grin of recognition, though his concern was clearly expressed in his honey brown irises.

"Are you okay?"

The wolf looked up from where she was attempting to remove her utility belt before offering the larger male a smile, "Yeah…I had to get out of here for a while. This whole thing with that pup was really getting to me."

Murray knew that the wolf was only telling him half of the truth, but he didn't push her. Out of all three members of the Cooper gang, Murray tended to be the most hesitant when it came to pushing the boundaries of other people. He didn't like stepping on any ones toes and especially the people he cared for. Many mistook this trait as the hippo being too trusting, but it was quite the opposite. Murray enjoyed helping his friends, and while he tended to look at situations and even people in an almost uncanny childlike innocence, it didn't stop him from being an excellent judge of how to read people.

A few moments later, Sly reappeared through the door pausing only briefly enough to notice that Jenna was back and was staring at the board with all of the recon photos he had taken only a few hours before. It unsettled him that the wolf was suddenly so obsessed over the younger canine, but he couldn't necessarily rule out the fact that even he had been rather obsessive over Carmelita, a fact that was later brought to his attention by Bentley who had voiced his concerns for Jenna's frame of mind. The raccoon couldn't deny that she had seemingly distanced herself from them, but he had originally assumed it was because she was wrapped up in her own little world – a tendency she exercised more often than not. Running a hand through his dampened hair, Sly allowed a sigh to pass his lips as he stepped further into the safe house before stopping next to the younger canine.

"You know," Jenna began without looking at him, her eyes flickering between the pictures of Carmelita and the unnamed pup, "I can't help but feel as if this is one of those moments where things are going to change too quickly for us to grasp."

The raccoon grunted in agreement, "Strange how others being in danger puts life into perspective."

Jenna digested the comment, though she couldn't help the bristling of her fur at the statement as it had bared a double meaning that did not go unnoticed, before snorting, "Or when it's someone you care about."

_Figurative SLAP in the face_.

Before the raccoon could reply properly to the comment, Bentley appeared in the doorway with the _bad mojo bomb_ he had been constructing still attached to the back of his shell. Jenna moved forward and helped the turtle remove the device, careful not to touch anything but the straps in order to avoid the collector from destabilizing. The turtle offered her a smile before taking the device back from her with a nod of appreciation and moving into the safe house, safely depositing the collector off to the side before stretching his limbs and staring at the team. "I say we get some well earned rest and begin phase two tomorrow."

His statement was met with quick murmurs of agreement and Jenna made to move to her small cot when a paw around her elbow stopped her. Turning her head to question who had stopped her, she was met with the bright tawny of Sly's eyes, "Would you care to explain what that was all about?"

"What, what was all about?" Jenna sighed as she ran a paw through her bangs. When Sly's look became more pointed she knew what he was referencing and she frowned softly at him, "Look…I'm just as stressed out about this job as you are, but I can't help but feel as if you're almost _too_ anxious to help Carmelita."

The raccoon recoiled slightly, a look of confusion crossing his features before his eyes returned to the hazel green of the wolf's eyes. There he saw everything he needed to and a soft frown creased at his lips, "Are you jealous?"

"Of course not," She answered almost immediately, catching the almost deadpanned look on the raccoon's features before sighing, "Yes…I'm jealous alright?"

"Jen…" He sighed deeply as he turned her face to meet his and he offered her a weak smile, but his eyes belayed what jest he attempted to show. As she stared into his eyes she was able to see that Carmelita wasn't the only thing on his mind and that he was just as worried as he was about the current situation. Not only did the Contessa have the inspector incapacitated, she had a child there as well and that was concerning to each member of the Cooper gang. Never before had they encountered a foe that had gotten children involved in their schemes and Jenna was able to see a genuine worry in Sly's eyes. She was drawn from her thoughts when he began to speak once more, obviously having collected his thoughts during their brief silence, "Carmelita is always going to be a part of me…I know it's not what _anyone _wants to hear, but it's the truth and I know you already knew that. _This_ isn't something that I'm used to at all…just understand that, yes I care about Carmelita, but I also care about you…and that pup. I know you're worried about him."

"I am," She answered slowly, her eyes briefly turning to the corkboard once more before resting on the raccoon before her, "And…I'll try to understand…the Carmelita thing anyway. Just…understand where I'm coming from with it…if our situations were different, would you say you wouldn't be jealous?"

"Of course I'd be jealous," Sly almost laughed.

"Then you understand how I feel," She frowned. Normally the wolf would find Sly's humor appropriate, but her nerves were much too frayed to find the mirth in the situation. "Just give me some time, okay?"

Sly considered her request before nodding, his eyes widening when the wolf hugged him tightly. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, his brow furrowing tightly over his eyes and he knew that things were not going to get easier for them…not in the slightest bit.

* * *

So we see a little fluffiness at the end there, but how long will it last?

Sorry for the shortness of the chapter - originally it was no supposed to stop at the last chapter, but I love cliffhangers too much and I've hit a huge bout of writers block :( So please bear with me for a little while. Anyway, my policy remains the same: Reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update :)

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	18. A Change of Events

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary:**Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer:**I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard and Lawrence Sheppard :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing:**Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings:**TBA

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Aloha to all my lovely readers! I'M BACKKKK! Yes, this is a true statement and I thank all of you who have reviewed despite my lack of posting and I apologize for this…I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this chapter but I wrote and rewrote it like 25 different times because it simply killed me. You'll understand why in a little while…anyway, I'm sorry if the format confuses you but I figured I would do something different for this chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

**Before I continue**; however, I would like to clarify (once more), that this is an original work that has come directly from my head. I have not plagiarized any content that is shown here. Just because my ideas had aligned with someone else's does NOT mean that I copied the content of another story. It's a fan-fiction and there are a great many Sly/OC fictions that are painstakingly alike because it is the nature of the story. Also, there are a great many other stories that have similar ideas and it's more from authors like us who sit there while we either watch or play these movies/video games and think: "wouldn't it be cool if such and such happened?". It happens and I will not say this again so consider this a final disclaimer. I have NOT stolen any one else's work; just because it parallels another fiction does not mean that it is plagiarized. If that is the case then there are a great many famous authors who should not be famous authors. That is all.

**A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 17**: _Deags, Papercut, raginrad77, Keyblades of Oblivion, Kera Cooper 20, Carmen Veiga, spexguy-cooper, bestpersonyouwilleverknow, Why Fireflies Flash, VampireSiren, BananaB0mb, Dragonmaster789, devildog452, _and _Aim1107._

_Deags - _Your encouraging words are always refreshing and it definitely is good to be back (I almost feel as if this is reminiscent of déjà vu lol). Anyway I'm glad that you have not found anything to complain about as it is not my intention to do such haha. And I definitely do get the picture lol! I know this is a painstakingly short review reply, but I hope that you aren't upset by this and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Papercut - _HAHAHA Your reviews never cease to make me smile! I so look forward to your entertaining reviews as they certainly do brighten my day :D I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_raginrad77 - _Thank you for your review. I'm glad you like the story as a whole and I further implore you to continue reading :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

_Keyblades of Oblivion - _Haha yes, that language is actually Lakotuyapi, which is the language of the Lakota Indians. Since Jenna is Native American, I deemed it fitting to add it in here ;) that and it's a huge clue...lol! Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Kera Cooper 20 - _I didn't want to say no, but I don't have that much time to write :( I'm sorry. Anyway, an OC is simply an acronym for Original Character :) It's basically what Jenna is as she does not originally belong in the Sucker Punch plotline! Anyway thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Carmen Veiga - _Haha yesss! More Assassins all around :D And don't worry...the pup is soon going to be added into this crazy mix ;) And I think I PMed you already, but they're speaking Lakotuyapi, which is the language of the Lakota Natives :) and I did, thank you and I hope the same to you! Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_spexguy-cooper - _Thank you so much! I like to give you a lot so that you're not unsatisfied lol :) But again, thank you for the review and I hope you like this chapter as well!

_bestpersonyouwilleverknow - _HAHA at least your name has an interesting story behind it. Mine was just the AOL name I had at the time and didn't feel like making anything better lol :) Anyway thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D

_Why Fireflies Flash - _Haha that's okay I'm so glad to hear from you regardless! And oh no! That's no way to continue onwards haha, a remedy is short to follow no doubt :D Ahem, anways...Haha I'm so glad you noticed the change in Jenna...I may write a small flashback into the conversation that led her to meeting with Nate and Jeremy and thus bringing about the contract of the Assassins...I'll get into more detail about that in the next story as it is all meant to be introduced in this one :) No worries lol. And don't worry the Contessa will definitely get what she deserves...Sam too lol. Ahahaha, you're soon to find out lol and it's no problem :D A review is a review no less! Thank you for your amazing review, as always, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

_VampireSiren - _Haha thank you so much. I'm going to combine both of your reviews into one and simply thank you for the both of them :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!

_BananaB0mb - _Muwahahahaha! You've hit the nail on the head just by the first small paragraph of your review ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter itself and yes, the fluff shall continue heehee, I can't keep them away from each other too long after all lol. Thanks again for the amazing review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Dragonmaster789 - _Haha thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_devildog452 - _Oh don't worry, there's so much more to the game that's left to cover ;) I won't leave you alone for too long haha. And yes, there will be a sequel for Sly 3 and eventually Sly 4. Thank you for the wonderful review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Aim1107_ - Thank you so much! That compliment just made my day so amazing you don't even understand lol! And it wasn't so much writers block holding me up as the nature of this chapter in particular...it was very hard for me to write...you'll see once you start reading lmao, but thank you so much for the encouraging review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**A special thanks to those who have followed and/or favorited this story! It means so much to me and I wouldn't write if you don't read! :D**

Without further adieu…ON WITH THE FIC!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

P.S. If you're a guest just leave me a name to call you by…it can be Bob, Larry, Moe, Curley, Spongebob…whatever you'd like so that I can answer you a little easier :D

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_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
18_

"Why are they here Jenna?!"

"Because I asked them to be!" Jenna growled as she tore through the drawers and cabinets of the safe house looking for bandages, "I made a deal with them through the Assassin Order. The pup belongs to them!"

Bentley sputtered wildly in his anger, "You went behind our backs for self gain!?"

"Of course not!"

"And at what cost!? Sly's life!?"

Jenna turned narrowed, tear-filled eyes to the reptile and shook her head, "Absolutely not! None of you were supposed to get involved, Bentley. They were meant to take care of Sam and in exchange I was supposed to return the pup to them safely! We were going to do that anyway – I just figured out their identity before hand!"

"Without speaking to us!" Bentley cried in exasperation, "Jenna, we're a team! You can't act alone and not anticipate consequences!"

"You think I haven't thought about what would happen if Sam was to find us!? Those wolves saved our lives and yet you argue with me – _where_ _are the bandages_!?"

"Jenna I –"

"Bentley," Jenna turned, tears burning her eyes from panic and exasperation as well as frustration and the turtle was able to truly see just how much of a toll it was taking on her. "I would never intentionally endanger any of you for my own gain…you know me better than that. Had those wolves not stepped in when they did not only would I be dead, but so would Sly...if we don't hurry _he will be_."

The turtle stared long and hard at the wolf, his gaze briefly flickering to the quaking lip and the teary eyed hippo before returning to the hazel green that belonged to Jenna. After a moment he nodded and began helping the wolf in her search for healing supplies.

_~2 Hours Earlier~_

Sly ran a hand through his hair as he sat at the binocucom station he was currently on watch in the safe house. It was unusual for him to be alone in the safe house as Murray had gone out to do his job and Jenna was currently stealing the voice modulator, a task that she insisted upon doing because she was tired of sitting around the safe house and doing nothing. Since their talk the wolf had seemingly relaxed around him and while initially he was suspicious of the behavior, he was now content to see that she was willing to help Carmelita – he assumed the change had happened after she had spoken with her cousin. Shaking his thoughts he sighed, leaning his head against his paw as he waited for Bentley to get into contact with him after he had set up the marker where the turtle had calculated it to be before he left.

After a moment, the door opened and Jenna returned, shaking her head of the rain that had started only a little while ago before closing the door with her foot and holding up her prize, "I got both pieces of the voice modulator, it's just gotta be installed and we're ready to go."

"Great," Sly smiled in reply, "At least it's in our possession so the Contessa and her men can't get at the cable to Neyla's HQ…did you lift the keys from the guy?" Jenna smirked at him, holding up a set of keys upon a key ring in answer to his question. The raccoon shook his head and turned as the binocucom station began to beep and signifying that Bentley was trying to connect through. Pressing a few buttons, Sly was able to see Bentley's screen and he frowned while looking down at the notes to the left of the monitor, Jenna coming to stand besides him and leaning on his shoulder to get a better view of both the monitor and the reptile's notes. "How're you going to hack the computers down there when they've got no power?"

"_According to General Clawfoot, a mobile energy source is stored at the end of this hallway_."

His answer was quick and easy, but it did not seem to satisfy the raccoon as he viewed what Bentley's binocucom was directed towards. He snorted, "_Hallway_ is a pretty kind term for what looks to me like a complex medieval gauntlet of death!"

Bentley's gulp was audible through the speakers, "_Yes well...while the idea of jumping down a crypt filled with whirling, razor sharp spikes might scare me, in fact terrorize my every fiber, it's the only way to power up that old computer in the re-education tower. Without that thing online we'll never get to the Clockwerk Eyes or free Carmelita!_"

"You're a good man Bentley...just make sure those traps don't rip you into a hundred little turtle pieces."

"_Why'd you have to say that!?_"

"I see a clear path to get through…" Jenna murmured quietly, but given her close proximity to Sly, he was able to hear her clearly. "Bentley I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't move until I'm there."

There was a brief pause before the turtle nodded, the screen moving with his face to indicate the movement, "_Alright…be careful out in the field. There were guards everywhere._"

"Probably heightened by the bombers Neyla hired." Jenna commented, "Don't worry Bentley, I'll be fine." Before she was able to fully turn she felt Sly's hand grab at her wrist to stop her and she quirked a brow at him. Glancing briefly at his smoldering gaze she sighed softly, the look unyieldingly tender and making her heart flutter happily in her chest, though the look of concern flickering in his tawny orbs did not miss her eyes.

"Be careful out there…Murray already put a dent in her mercenaries so it should hopefully lessen their patrols, but don't go without caution. Sam could be out there."

She smiled, "I will…and I'll radio in if I run into any trouble."

"Please." He seemed to relax at her promise, but the tension of his previous statement was still tugging at his expression and Jenna knew not to take his concern lightly.

Sly was not normally so cautious, but since this job they had never intentionally attempted to complete a double play of both sabotage and theft. The complete intention was to not only steal the Clockwerk Eyes, but to hit the Contessa where it hurt for what she had done to the Gang a little over a month ago now and this was something personal. Jenna sighed softly and nodded her head, releasing from his grip gently and moving to the door to pull her jacket back on and reattach her utility belt around her waist – the belt serving no other purpose than to hold her tools and whip chain.

Upon exiting the safe house and activating her binocucom, Jenna could see how many guards were on patrol and she frowned. She was not going to be able to take the boat underneath the bridge for there were multiple wolves and bats there, nor was she going to be able to take the main bridge for she could see the courtyard was crawling with guards as well as two vultures. Turning her binocucom in search of any other ways over the water (Jenna did not particularly want to swim there for she didn't know what the Contessa had placed in the water in case Neyla made to attempt an underwater assault) she soon saw a wire leading from one of the houses to one of the platforms near where the Contessa's tanks patrolled and she smirked. Placing her binocucom in the pouch of her harem pants she made quick work of scaling her way to one of the further rooftops where she soon found that the wire she had seen was an electrical wire and she frowned.

_This is certainly going to be fun_, she mused quietly to herself as she pulled herself onto the chimney just off to the side of it. There was a single hook before the wire that would aid in her reaching it, but Jenna had never learned how to slide on a wire…she couldn't even walk across a wire comfortably without a spotter despite the training Sly had given her upon her joining the gang. She still couldn't see the 'sparkles' like Sly, Bentley or Murray could and she wasn't even sure that this wire was deemed safe enough to slide across, as inching her way down the wire was impossible with the nodes every few feet that spewed electricity.

Glancing at her belt she realized that most of her equipment was metal and she frowned as she looked in each pouch attached to her belt in search of something she could use. After a few moments of patting herself down she came across a pair of gloves with rubber palms and she smiled. Rubber certainly wouldn't conduct the electricity, but it would leave her hands feeling, not only hot, but tingly and no doubt making the fur there prone to any type of static she could pick up in the mean time. Shaking her head she quickly pulled them over her slim hands and rolled her shoulders, "Alright…here goes nothing."

Jumping onto the hook in front of her wasn't a problem, it was making the swing with rubber-palmed gloves on a _metal _hook to a wire that she wasn't sure would exactly support her weight – no wonder Sly slid down these things since the rubber soles of his shoes wouldn't leave him feeling strange at all…save for whatever electricity he would pick up near the nodes.

It took her a few tries before she managed to swing high enough to release her hold on the hook and grab the cable, releasing a sigh of relief when she only slid for a moment before coming to a stop, thanks to the rubber. Carefully she began climbing her way down the wire, making sure to give herself enough room to avoid the nodes that she noticed were much larger than she had anticipated them to be.

"_How're you making out Jenna_?"

She grunted as she adjusted her grip so she could swing around the cable in hopes she could use it as an axel once her body pulled it enough to pull her high enough so she could release the cable and then pass over the node and land on the other side. As she began to tug the cable down to get her momentum going she answered the raccoon, "Just peachy…we're gonna have to work on how to slide on things though."

"_The cables right_?"

"Oh yeah," She grunted as she swung and was suddenly thankful that it was slippery enough to allow one to slide down it as it didn't affect the rubber on her hands. "I couldn't take the boat or the bridge to the Contessa's estate because of the increased guards, so I settled for the cables only to realize that climbing them is virtually impossible!"

"_So how're you getting across_?"

"Climbing."

There was a pause before Sly could be heard near laughter on the other end of the line. He wasn't able to vocalize what he had been trying to convey as his laughter took precedence and Jenna snorted. She knew he was able to see what she was doing thanks to the cameras Bentley had hacked into on both the Contessa's side of the war and Neyla's in order to predict guard movement and shift changes. When she felt she had gained enough momentum, thanks to her gymnastics lessons, she carefully timed herself that when the cord was stretched downwards with her weight she would have to tighten her swing so she was in a near handstand before pushing off when the cord straightened again so that she had the height she needed.

"_That was rather impressive, Princess!_"

"Shut up Sly."

"_At least I get to see it another two times,_" He laughed in her ear, "_You still have two more nodes to pass before you're able to hit the wall_."

"You forget that there is a wall there and I can conveniently climb it."

Jenna smirked at the silence she received before continuing on her way towards the wall of the Contessa's estate. Repeating this process once more, Jenna soon came to the wall and she released her one hand in order to reach for her bear-claws, thankful that they were easily removable from her belt before swinging herself to the side and releasing her hold on the cord and using her bear-claw to latch onto the ledge of the wall. She was thankful that the claw attached without further issue before pulling herself up so that she was standing on the corner of the wall. From here it was relatively easy for the wolf to find the crypt that Bentley had thankfully waited for her in and she smiled at him happily.

"What's going on Bentley?"

"Other than trying to figure out these spiked logs and not have an asthma attack…nothing too extraneous."

Jenna smirked, "Well then you're in luck." She then squatted and gestured to her back, "Well what're you waiting for? Hop on and let's get this show on the road!"

"While I would normally trust you," Bentley commented with a frown, "I do not think it's remotely appropriate to ride on your back!"

"Remember that recipe for turtle stew I told you about back in Paris when we first met?" When the turtle in question shuddered she smirked, "It'd be so much easier to accomplish making it with you torn into itty bitty turtle pieces."

Bentley shuddered again before leveling her with a glare, "Because that makes me more willing to climb onto your back when you're thinking of turning me into stew every chance you get."

"Could be worse," She mused with a grin, "I could be plotting to add tomatoes!"

"I'm allergic to tomatoes," He lamented with a sigh.

"What would it matter? You wouldn't have to eat it…"

"Your sense of reality scares me."

The cheshire grin that spread across Jenna's lips nearly petrified him as she simply picked him up, throwing him casually over her shoulder before moving through the swirling spikes and logs like a professional. By the time they reached the final corridor, Jenna placed the turtle back on his feet and frowned softly at the rafts floating in the water of the room before scratching her head.

"How is it she has water in here when it's pretty well land-locked?"

The turtle frowned in thought (after dusting himself off and muttering obscenities under his breath at the she-wolf), his forefinger curling around his chin in thought. "It could be that it's just a room filled with water that's made to look more dangerous than it truly is." He glanced up at Jenna, noting her incredulous stare, before shaking his head, "Most likely improbable…shall we continue?"

"After you," Jenna remarked with a grin and gesturing to the first raft that floated precariously on top of the water. Bentley stepped onto the raft with the wolf following just behind him and after a few steps the turtle paused, glancing warily at the water as it rippled. A few more steps forward suddenly urged him to run as a tentacle flew out of the water and attempted to swat at them. "Bentley, go!" The reptile didn't need any more encouragement than that before he was racing across the rafts to get to the other side of the room. As his feet touched the stone edge of the other side of the room he turned his eyes to where Jenna was prancing around and dodging tentacles as she went before unhooking her whip chain.

Instead of waiting for Jenna to finish taking care of the land-locked sea creature, Bentley turned his sights on the acid battery sitting in the corner. A few moments later, the wolf appeared besides him, shaking the dampness from her hair and accidentally spraying himself with water. A light hissing sound caught both of their attention as their eyes turned from each other (Bentley's look more annoyed and Jenna's sheepishly mirthful), to where the water had hit the battery. At this revelation, Bentley smiled.

"A-ha! This acid battery should do the trick!" He cried gleefully as he walked closer to the battery and rubbing his hands together. Jenna crossed her arms over her chest and quirked a brow at him, ignoring the water that still dripped into her face from her bangs.

"Bentley, are you sure that's gonna work?"

"Well sure I'm sure!" The reptile grinned, "Being that you hotwire and work on cars, surely you know what an acid battery could do."

Jenna rolled her eyes, "It's not exactly safe practice to use anything _acidic_ on a car." Bentley ignored this comment as he finished fastening the battery to his back.

"It's simple really." He began, "Just walk close to the electrode and voila!" The wolf was surprised when the computer booted up as soon as the turtle approached with the battery on his back, the nodes passing electricity from the battery to the computer. "Prepare to be hacked you knave!"

Running a hand down the side of her face, Jenna waited patiently for the turtle to hack the terminal. She was surprised at his phrasing, but not at the same time as Bentley had a tendency to speak out loud to himself at times.

After a few more moments the lights on the terminal turned green and the turtle whooped in triumph before turning to the wolf, "That's one down, two to go!" He then paused, his happy demeanor sobering into one of seriousness as he looked to his partner for this job, "Hmm...I'd better not take any damage while carrying this battery to the other terminals. It is, after all, filled with acid."

"Well it certainly would make sense." Jenna commented with a roll of her eyes before crouching down to his level with her back turned towards him. "It'll be easier for you to not take damage if you let me carry you properly this time…I'd rather not have you blow my eardrums out again."

The turtle huffed indignantly before fixing himself to the wolf's back and grumbling incoherently to himself as Jenna took off at a light jog. It was going to be slightly more difficult to maneuver with Bentley attached to her back, but it was all a matter of timing and positioning herself, especially upon entering the room with the axe pendulums. As they neared the next computer, Bentley slid off of her back and quickly made his way to the terminal and cracking his fingers, "Okay! Ready for another session of hacking mastery!"

"And then you wonder why you were beat up as a kid…" Jenna muttered to herself and earning a scathing glare from the turtle before he turned his attention back to hacking. They repeated this process once more before the turtle managed to hack all three terminals, ensuring the ability to release Carmelita from her bonds in order to chase the Contessa out of the re-education tower.

"With that old computer powered up, our work here is done!"

"About time," Jenna whined. "Your little arms were beginning to choke me with how tightly you were holding on."

Bentley shot her a withering glare, "Well had you not deemed it necessary to practice your gymnastics in such a dangerous setting and bringing me near-death on multiple instances, I wouldn't have felt it necessary to hold on so tight!"

"Admit it Bentley," The wolf smirked. "You've always wanted to get close to me."

"More like choke the life out of you," The turtle returned with a roll of his eyes. Jenna's lips quirked into an amused smile as Bentley removed the battery from his person before throwing it back into the hallway; a resounding _BOOM _signaling the battery's destruction and further uselessness, "Let's get out of here."

"I couldn't agree more."

As the two exited the catacombs they began to make their way cautiously through the Contessa's grounds in hopes of not getting caught, but as they turned into the abandoned graveyard that held the memorial of the _Evil Wolf Priestess_ things quickly got out of hand. It was Jenna who caught the figure first as the black mass came barreling out of seemingly thin air and plowing towards the duo.

Thinking quickly, the wolf pushed Bentley forward before turning and taking the impact head on. Bentley quickly scrambled to his feet, having landed into a gravestone, before turning to where the she-wolf was just recovering from landing into the wall of the memorial and shaking her head. It then clicked in his mind that Sam was back on his feet and was quickly charging him, but before the turtle could even raise his crossbow, Jenna's form slid underneath her brother's. Gathering her footing, Jenna used the gravestone to stand before turning and using her brother's momentum to throw him over herself and the turtle.

It didn't take long for Bentley to realize that Sam was attempting to attack him and that the she-wolf was obviously defending him, but he needed a quick plan in order to get out of there with Jenna and not have Sam follow them. As fast as his mind came up with ideas they were quickly dismissed because of their ultimate complexity and so the turtle could only attempt to find cover while Jenna handled her brother. As the fight wore on, it was quickly leaning away from Jenna's advantage and he did the only thing he could possibly think to do: he called Sly.

"Sly, Sly can you read me!?"

There was static for a few moments before he was able to hear his friend's voice in his ear, "_Yeah…what's up Bentley? You and Jenna should have been back by now_."

"We got caught up! Sam came out of no where!"

"_Where are you guys_!?"

Bentley looked up just as Jenna's form was tossed effortlessly to the side as Sam turned his focus onto him once more. His blue eyes were narrowed and laden with an almost satisfactory emotion along with bloodlust that made the turtle's already cold blood, run cold. In the moment the two stared at one another, Jenna had managed to get to her feet once more before running towards her brother to knock him off course once more, "The memorial for the _Evil Wolf Priestess_!" He cried as the two plowed through a few more gravestones. Bentley wasn't sure if Sly had caught the last bit before the turtle's earpiece was snatched away from him, but he could only hope that the raccoon had gotten the message and was on his way as the fight was quickly turning south.

Jenna panted as she rolled off and away from her brother and staggering to her feet. Her entire body was screaming at her from the strain it was being placed under and the many times she had been thrown into the stone surrounding them, but she quickly pushed her ailments away as Sam swung a mighty fist at her, just barely missing her snout and nearly making her stumble as she attempted to dodge.

"What's the matter, Jenny!?" Sam growled as he swung once more, a haymaker aimed towards the smaller wolf's temple, "Too afraid to fight back!?"

The she-wolf didn't have time to answer as he lunged forwards, catching her fur in between his teeth as he broke through her defense. As the two hit the ground, Jenna felt her breath leave her with the combined weight of Sam and the force of the throw. She momentarily saw spots in her vision, if from her fall or Sam's teeth sinking into her pelt she had no idea, but it was enough for her to once again lower her defense enough for the larger wolf to swing a hand at her cheek.

Holding back the whimper that wanted to escape she managed to crane her neck enough to allow her to sink her teeth into her brother's ear, locking her jaw and tugging as hard as she could. His jaw unclamped from her shoulder in favor of a howl of pain and Jenna took the opportunity to swing herself from underneath him as he writhed and lock herself onto his back, her jaw still locked and tugging at his sensitive ear.

She released her hold on his ear and made to grab at the back of his head, but Sam was quicker and managed to unlock her arms and swing her violently into the side of the building before readjusting his grip and tossing her away. Jenna collided into two other gravestones before she came to an uneasy stop, managing to use the momentum to land on her feet, however, she miscalculated and wound up falling once more. She managed to sit up just in time for her brother to jump her once more, the larger wolf easily taking her advantage away from his place on top of her.

His added weight and the location of where he sat made it extremely hard for the she-wolf to buck him off of her, her hips locked into the ground and leaving her only defense to be her hands, which quickly moved to her head to cover it from the sudden onslaught of fists that attacked her. It was only a matter of time before Sam managed to break through her defenses and Jenna knew she had to think quickly – one uppercut would manage to break whatever guard she had!

With this thought in mind, the smaller wolf quickly found a rhythm to his strikes and at the last possible second she lashed out with a jab of her own, catching Sam directly in his nose. A loud yelp passed his lips and caused his eyes to water just enough to give Jenna an opportunity to fight him off of her, but she had not anticipated him recovering and she threw her arm up just in time to block his jaws from clasping around her throat. She knew as soon as his jaw clamped around her limb that it would take a while for the wound to heal as he tugged and shook the limb violently.

In a moment of brief thought she couldn't help but wonder why "cat fights" were considered more violent when it was the canines that were more vicious during their fights. _It had to be the claws_, she thought bleakly. Dogs, wolves especially, used their teeth and speed in order to take down opponents; aiming for anything that could be considered vital with blunt force so it would take longer to heal…in that moment, Jenna would have preferred the cat claws.

With Sam's jaw clamped around her arm she knew that she had gained only a slight leverage as he was more concentrated at tearing her arm up (thankfully he had missed the vital veins in her wrist and elbow and had clamped down on her forearm!), and leaving his hands to simply brace the movements of his head. It made it much easier for her to strike him from the position she was now in and she did not miss the opportunity as she used her less-dominant hand to repeatedly hit his snout: the most sensitive part of any canine's body. He released her as anticipated and Jenna took this moment to use her freed dominant left hand to swing a punch at the side of his head in order to effectively push him off. This did not work as well as she had hoped and since he had shifted higher onto her hips she was able to use her legs to buck upwards, covering her face as the larger wolf was thrown over her.

Rolling into a standing position, Jenna glanced briefly at her arm and winced at the mangled appearance – no doubt it would leave scars that the fur would not grow back on. Turning her eyes to the staggering male she quickly moved, hoping to catch him off guard as she used a gravestone for added height, catching her brother around his neck with her legs and twisting in hopes to snap his neck and end the entire conflict, but it seemed as if her brother was once again one step ahead of her.

He rolled with the throw, albeit not as gracefully as he had seemingly intended as he landed on his back. Jenna did not miss the new opening and brought her heel down in a solid hatchet kick at his chest, further winding him before kicking him in the side of the head. As she made to kick once more, the wolf grabbed her foot and twisted and in order to prevent her ankle from snapping, the she-wolf rolled with it and directly into his next assault.

Once again Jenna found herself in a position that would not allow her a lot of leverage as his hands clasped around her throat. This time, she knew that she wouldn't be able to easily get herself out of this position as he was sitting on top of her and using the ground to brace her against. Had he been standing, she could have swung her legs up to dislocate his elbow, but now she was at a loss with very little wiggle-room.

Her mind traced back the last few months of her life and over the adventures she had had with the Cooper gang, as her life was being squeezed away from her. She thought about how she would have been in school once more, in her second year of college, competing at tournaments for gymnastics, sitting in her History of Philosophy course and wishing that the hour and a half lecture would end, when her most difficult decision was: "what am I going to where to the party Friday night?". All of these thoughts assaulted her at once and she then began to think about her family. None of this would have ever happened if Lawrence had not allowed her to visit her cousins, he would still be alive and overbearing as any single father is with his child, they would still have the Friday night poker games and she would help him cheat, she would have had a normal life. Once again her mind backtracked to the Cooper gang and she realized that she would have never changed what had happened. She wouldn't know about her true life, she wouldn't have such amazing and understanding friends and she wouldn't be able to exercise her right of freedom…she wouldn't have Sly.

It was as this thought passed her mind that air began racing into her lungs and she coughed violently, heaving as the oxygen she had been deprived of suddenly made its appearance once more. The black spots that had invaded her vision began to fade as more air breeched her lips and she vaguely felt someone kneeling besides her and the sound of a struggle further away. Opening her eyes, after trusting she wouldn't pass out, she was met with Bentley's face and she frowned softly in confusion.

"Bentley?"

"You're alive!"

"Of course I am…" She mumbled, "Otherwise I wouldn't be in nearly as much pain as I'm in now." The relief that passed the turtle's features comforted her, but it was suddenly taken away as a grunt and yelp was heard further away. The wolf frowned softly and looked up at the reptile, "Bentley, what's going on? Where's Sam?"

Bentley hesitated before he answered her, "Sly came just in time to knock him off of you…I almost had an asthma attack when you stopped fighting at his hands."

"Sly's here!?" The turtle yelped in surprise as Jenna sat up, her eyes wide and searching for the raccoon and her brother, "What does he think he's doing!?"

"Jenna you nearly died!"

"I don't care about that!" Jenna snarled as she turned her narrowed gaze on the turtle, "It's my fight and I don't want you guys getting hurt because of me. Now where are they!?" A loud shout suddenly brought the she-wolf's eyes to the scene to see Sly had been tossed away from the enraged wolf, his cane landing further away from him. Before she could gather her feet underneath her, Sam was lunging at the raccoon, his teeth lodging into his exposed side and earning him a satisfactory screech.

It was unlike any sound that Jenna had ever heard from the raccoon and she growled lowly in her throat, her fur standing up on end. "Bentley, take this," she began earning a small grunt from the turtle as she thrust the pager into his hands, "and dial 835 260 3297. Then I want you to find a spot and stay out of my way."

Before Bentley could question what she meant the wolf launched into a heavy sprint and aiming specifically for Sam. She launched herself into the air and attached herself to her brother's back, her teeth sinking into his shoulder as she began tearing and pulling in an effort to release the raccoon from his hold. It was clear to her that the raccoon had taken a beating even before she managed to come-to. She was thankful when Sam released the raccoon from his grasps before turning his whole focus on her.

Releasing herself from his back she landed almost like a cat and counted her movements carefully, her mind suddenly calculating with her anger and she was suddenly very thankful to her late father for forcing martial arts on her. She sprung forward just as Sam did and met him half way with a spinning hook kick that broke through his boxer-like guard before following with a series of punches, making sure to aim anywhere vital and to aim at the pressure points that she knew would help lower his defenses before she found her opening and brought her leg up, pushing all of her bodyweight forward and at his sternum. The kick itself missed the intended target due to Sam's last-minute block, but it effectively lowered his guard and forced him to stumble.

As suddenly as he stumbled he rebounded, catching her in the side of the head with a spinning back fist that blurred her vision. Without being able to catch herself, Sam took that moment to strike and she felt herself fly through the air and roll away from him, her saving grace being a gravestone that stopped her movements enough to keep her from falling off of the small pier. She could feel his breath by her ear as he took a hold of her neck once more, lifting her into the air and holding her there.

"It doesn't surprise me that you're so weak," Sam began through a raspy laugh, slightly breathy at the exertion of the fight. "Constantly letting your emotions get to you, letting the bonds you form with others be the deciding factor." He trailed off slightly, squeezing her already sore neck for emphasis. "It's because of you that _my _father had to die…it's because of you that I was neglected, don't you see _Jenny_? Had you never been in the picture, my life would have been perfect!" Jenna gasped for air and clawed at his hands, "But because of _you_ that was all taken from me, and now I'm gonna take your little friends away…starting with that fat hippo. Then I'll take that know-it-all turtle and finish him off nice and slow, but you know who's going to take the cake, Jenny?" As she struggled for air he laughed, "I'm gonna skin that little coon of yours alive and watch as your entire life comes crashing down around you!"

Just as suddenly as Sam's arm reared back, his eyes widened and his arm stopping its movements. Dropping her to the ground he staggered, his eyes wide as he turned to see that there were two other wolves behind him, the very same that Jenna had spoken to less than a day ago. The stockier of the two glared viciously at the wolf, his eyes narrowed dangerously and his teeth bared; the lankier of the two was grinning maliciously, his hand still poised in the position he had used to throw the knife that was deeply embedded into the back of the black wolf's neck. Before Sam could form a coherent thought, the stockier male lashed out grabbing the knife in the back of the wolf's neck and leaning close to his ear, a sick grin stretching across his face.

"That's what you get for messing with our sister…chew on that one in hell, pal."

With those words he removed the knife, the motion quick and effortless and heedless of the tissue there, effectively ending the life of Samuel Alexander Sheppard. As the two wolves disposed of the other's body, Jenna moved quickly to where Bentley was talking to a pain-ridden Sly and she slid to a stop next to him. She moved his hands away from the bite that Sam had taken at his right side and winced, her own injuries completely forgotten. Smoothing out the hair on his head, the wolf couldn't help the small whimper that escaped her throat, "It's okay, Sly, you're gonna be okay."

The raccoon winced deeply and shook his head slightly, whether in agreement or not the she-wolf was unable to discern. He smirked then, a look that was so misplaced on his face for the current situation that nearly made Jenna start screaming at him, but she didn't as he spoke. "Don't worry about me, Princess…" He drew off with another wince, "At least he's gone."

"Yeah…he's gone, but Sly you're bleeding…a lot!"

He simply offered her a brief shrug, "It was worth it."

Jenna's thinly veiled temper sparked suddenly and she nearly wanted to hit him, but wisely refrained. "_It was worth it_!? Sly, are you touched in the head!? You're crazy, like officially and totally crazy!" During her tirade the raccoon smirked, obviously humored by her rambling sentences as she continued to yell at him, his smirk fading slightly when tears began to leak from her eyes. "You're stupid…why did you do that!? Don't you realize that Bentley and Murray need you!? You still have a job to do you stupid raccoon!" The raccoon was fading quickly from the more conscious world and the wolf knew it and so did the turtle and raccoon both.

"Jenna," Her tirade was cut off as Sly used her given name, something he rarely did unless he was serious, "I did it because you're a member of this team just like Bentley and Murray are. You always have been, whether you believe it or not." He paused as another wave of pain racked his body, "Remember in India…after Rajan's ball, when we left on those terms?" Jenna nodded, tears leaking passed her eyes faster, Bentley politely refraining from expressing his own distress in order to remain composed for both the Jenna's benefit and to keep his asthma and anxiety from spiking dangerously. "I was never hurt more…not even by Carmelita. You leaving meant that I was losing someone else that I had in my life and I was angry. I'm sorry for taking that out on you…"

"Sly, stop…You don't have to apologize for anything. You shouldn't even be talking like this! You're gonna be fine. You've still got a job to do and you promised you'd help me find my family."

Sly's lips quirked slightly despite his eyes closing and he nodded briefly, "I did."

"Sly!"

"Jenna…" She turned her attention to the two wolves that stood behind her, her look broken. Nate stepped forward and sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "He still has time left…if you would allow it, we will help you heal him. Jeremy and I aren't specifically trained for field medic, but we know enough to allow him proper recovery."

Bentley cleared his throat and both wolves, minus Jenna, turned to face him and he frowned, "Who exactly are you two?"

Jeremy and Nate looked at one another before frowning, but neither of them answered. After a moment, Jenna cleared her throat, her voice still choked from her emotional distress as well as the amount of times she had nearly been choked out, "Bentley, I'll explain later…right now our main priority is Sly."

~_Back in the Present_~

The brothers made quick work of getting the raccoon comfortable enough to begin cleaning the wounds he had sustained, their main focus being his side as it was easily the most fatal if left alone for too long. Murray stood off to the side watching everything that was happening with watering eyes and helping whenever necessary. He was heartbroken to see his friend looking so near-death and it was even worse when Jenna neglected her own injuries in favor of treating Sly's.

A moment later, Jenna emerged from the makeshift kitchen with a small bowl of what looked like green goo, looking specifically like paste, before setting it off to the side and dragging a pale of water closer to her in order to clean out the wound. After this was done, Nate took her spot and began sewing the gaping wound closed. The stocky wolf was careful in his practice and silent as he worked, only offering small whispers to his brother or Jenna whenever he needed something as Jeremy looked Jenna's wounds over. After the she-wolf pushed the lanky wolf away from her for early the seventh time, Nate sighed, calling his brother to help him sit the raccoon up enough to fasten the bandages to his torso. He had applied the mixture that Jenna had made over the stitches before sealing it with a small wad of gauze. The three of them worked quickly and quietly, leaving Bentley to comfort Murray and vise versa.

"Is Sly gonna be okay little buddy?" Murray inquired for the umpteenth time in the last hour or so and earning a deep sigh from his younger friend.

"I'm sure he'll pull through," Bentley nodded, believing his statement more now that he seemed more comfortable as the brothers set him back down on the small cot they had managed to find. "He always does, besides, Jenna won't let him go."

Murray considered this for a moment before nodding, "Is Jenna gonna be okay?"

"That's going to be a little harder to answer," Bentley frowned as he watched the wolf snarl at the lanky wolf, who was introduced to him as Jeremy, for touching her mangled forearm. "She was crushed that Sly got hurt and that Sam attacked me…so much that she was forced to rely on those two in order to take control of the situation. She's going to beat herself up for this for a long time."

"She shouldn't do that," The hippo frowned. "What happened to Sly wasn't her fault."

Bentley nodded, "It wasn't her fault, but she's going to blame herself for it."

During the discussion, Jeremy and Nate had to work together in order to attend to Jenna's injuries that were few in comparison to the raccoon. She had suffered only a split lip, a few cuts and bruises; her worst injury being her mangled forearm that she near refused to be touched. After a small argument in their native language, Jenna allowed the two to clean the wound and stitch the skin back together, adding the spread she had made earlier before wrapping it tightly. Throughout the whole process, the she-wolf had been nursing a bottle of water that she forced down her tender throat in order to keep herself awake. Her eyes were only Sly throughout the entirety of her tending and she frowned deeply before turning her eyes to the elder of the brothers.

"He's going to be okay…right?"

Nate paused in his cleaning of her split lip to look at her. He could see the anxiety in her features and he sighed softly, "I don't see why he wouldn't be. Jeremy's been monitoring him the last hour so it shouldn't be a problem. If his condition hasn't changed yet, then he should be fine."

Jenna digested this statement before bowing her head, "You don't think that he'll hate me…do you?"

"Why would he hate you?" Nate frowned, "He threw his life on the line for you…that normally doesn't happen if someone hates someone else."

"I know, but I can't help but feeling that this is all my fault."

"Well it is," Nate began, raising his hands when Jenna's locked onto his eyes in fury. "Listen, I don't mean offense. What I mean to say is that had you not been involved with them this wouldn't have happened, yes…but it would have happened eventually with anyone you were close to. Samuel was a dangerous character – Jeremy and I realized this after gathering information about him over the last few months after our little brother went missing. It may not have happened to these guys, but it would have happened anyway. Fate is like that sometimes."

"Well fate can bite me."

"She already has." Nate smiled when the she-wolf's lips quirked into a small smile before fading once more as she turned her eyes back to the raccoon. Seeing her gaze the wolf sighed deeply, using his finger to direct her attention away from the slumbering raccoon. "You have to wait for him to wake up before you begin blaming yourself for what happened. If you don't know his reaction, there's no sense hurting yourself further by believing in an outcome that may not yet exist in his mind. The other two do not blame you and so you should relish the fact that maybe, just maybe, these guys are good people."

Jenna sighed softly, only offering a nod to the wolf to show she understood before allowing him to fuss over her other injuries before he forced her away from the raccoon long enough to clean herself up and change out of her ruined clothing. After cleaning herself, changing into a comfortable pair of black sweatpants and red zip-up hoodie, and drying her hair and allowed herself to break down. Tears passed her eyes quicker than she could stop and it was a mixture of emotions ranging from relief to absolute and total self-resentment. She tried to echo Nate's words, but she couldn't find any truth to them. How was he supposed to know her so well if they had just met?

Suddenly, everything seemed to click into place: why they seemed to similar to her, their easy reluctance to help her after introducing herself as the daughter of Vincent Auteri. Another sob racked her body and she held her bangs away from her brow with her right hand as her elbows rested on her drawn-up knees and her head bending at an uncomfortable angle towards her stomach.

For all of her life she wondered what it would be like to find her family, but never once had she thought it would turn out quite like this.

* * *

This chapter actually hurt to write and now I'm sure you all know why it took me so long to update...don't worry, everything is completely necessary for the story. I hope you don't all hate me for this little twist, but I'm sure you won't mind it as the next chapter we not only stop the Contessa, but we head to our next objective ;)

Anyway, yes: Jenna now has an idea of who her family is so that's a huge weight lifted off of your shoulders...You can all heave a heavy sigh of relief and your long-overdue "FINALLY"s lol :)

As always my policy remains the same: **Reviews are lovely and appreciated but not mandatory for an update**!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	19. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Hey all,

I'm so sorry for the delay in the next chapter :( I would make some elaborate excuse about how college has literally eaten my heart and soul…among other things, but that is not the cause for my delay with the next chapter.

While in the middle of writing chapter 19, my computer froze. Now, you're probably staring at this like "doesn't timexgone23 know that she has to _ctrl-s _while she writes!?"…Thing is, I did that and my computer, who's name is Jasper if you wanted to know, decided he is getting rather old and no longer wished to aid me in my endeavor to finish the rather evil scene I had planned out for you all (you're lucky I don't remember a lot of what I originally wrote!). Admittedly he's been amazing to me and I felt no need to replace him for some younger, newer model – pft! Who wants a _newer_ model anyway!? But I digress.

Anyway, he froze on me and I was forced to reboot my computer. I imagine you're now like, "Whew! At least Microsoft word is amazing and such a fortunate program to have! It _must_ have autosaved it!" It is here, friends, that I say…_**No**_, Microsoft word _**did not **_autosave my chapter, even the parts that I had already "saved". I'm very disheartened by this so it may take me some time to rediscover my inspiration to write a scene similar to what I had as it was rather clever (if I do say so myself).

So please be patient with me! You don't have to write a review for this note, in fact, I would rather you not review this note…otherwise you'll never know when the regular chapter comes out as I delete my author's notes and replace it with the chapter. So please refrain if at all possible :) Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day and I may or may not add a one-shot ;) You never know haha. Anyway, I beg you be patient with me once more…I'll get the next chapter out in due time :)

Your Loving Authoress,  
timexgone23


	20. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

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**Summary:**Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?

**Disclaimer:**I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard, Lawrence Sheppard, Tuawn and Melissa Labrador, Vincent Auteri, Dominic Auteri, Delia, Nathan, Jeremy and Dakota Sumanitu-taka and any other unrecognizable character :)

**Story Type**: OC Insert

**Pairing: **Sly Copper/OFC

**Other Pairings: **TBA

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;

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**Author's Note:** Okay, so I'm pretty sure you all dislike me very, very much right now and I don't blame you at all. I'm so sorry for the lacking of updating on ALL of my stories (I'm not sure if any of you read my other ones as well), but I really have been going through a lot as a writer and especially as a person. For any that know me well enough, a member of my family was diagnosed with estrogen-based breast cancer back in 2007 and has been battling it ever since. It takes a lot out of me as I am one of the main supporters of my household as well as a college student. I work a lot and especially to support my family both mentally and emotionally. Anyway, this is not including the major projects and interviews I have had to conduct as a journalist (only to get those articles viciously critiqued and thrown back into my face by my professor), so I've been a little disheartened to write anything. I know you're all very understanding (I love you all for that honestly) and I want to extend my apologies to you for not updating. So I'm not gonna keep blabbering about my life and I especially don't want pity for it I'm just trying to clarify that this is my hobby and not the most important thing in my life currently.

Anyway, on a more positive note – well, more positive than that anyway – I finally have an update for you lol. I'll let you all guage it and let me know what you think (you're going to anyway) and I'm positive some of you will hate me by the end of this xD. Sadly, this story is quickly coming to a close – I'll be ending it sooner than you think, especially since there's only a few more missions to go. But you'll see what I mean by the end of this chapter lol :D

Much Love,  
timexgone23

**A special thanks to any and all of you that have reviewed! I love you all very, very much! I know I normally take time out to shout you out individually as well as write back to you, but I don't have the time to do that today. Just know that you're all amazing and you're the reason why I continue to write **(_insert heart that fan fiction won't let us use lol_)

Without further adeu,

ON WITH THE FIC!

* * *

_A Dangerous Enterprise  
Sly 2: Band of Thieves  
19_

Bentley looked up as the safe house door opened and his brow furrowed in concern at his female teammate. Ever since the fight with Sam, the wolf had taken up all of the extra side jobs that Sly would normally do before a heist. Admittedly, all of their spirits had been low since the raccoon had come back as injured as he was. Murray blatantly refused any and all of his favorite foods, stubbornly pushing them away when presented to him and Bentley had attempted to pick up the slack as he did a month ago, but even he found it difficult to maintain his momentum. Jenna had taken the hit the hardest, however. She still constantly blamed herself for what happened, silently attending to the raccoon's wounds and making sure they were clean and when not doing that she was prolonging the conflict between the Contessa and Neyla to bide them time.

It was clear that the wolf was at her breaking point.

"That should hold us off for another two days," Jenna reported wearily as she removed her damp coat and sighing heavily. Bentley looked up at her in concern before a frown came to his lips.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright Jenna?"

The wolf paused before shaking her head, "I don't know…"

"Why don't you go and rest. We're set for a while…" Bentley began slowly. He knew that she had taken a lot of responsibility for everything and watched as she debated the option in her head. "Jenna, you said so yourself that you bought us another two days…we're going to need you for the heist."

"I guess you're right." She nodded slowly as she released her hair from its confines and allowing the slightly crimped locks to fall messily about her shoulders "I'm going to check on his wounds first though…" Bentley only nodded. He knew that arguing with her was completely useless at this point as she was stubborn, sometimes even more so than Sly. He watched as she checked up on him before seating herself in the chair that rested next to the small bed that Jenna and the two other assassins managed to acquire, though Bentley didn't ask about the means.

Shaking his head he returned his sight to his computers in an attempt to monitor further progress with the small war they had aided in tensions. Though Bentley trusted his female teammate's abilities, he wanted to make sure that nothing would provoke the other side into taking action first. He made note of guard movements from the cameras he had hacked earlier that week, also keeping his eye on the tanks and plane routes. The small table they had in the safe house was covered in schematics, blue prints as well as countless pages of notes the reptile had taken about the number of patrols, tanks and planes and calculations of how much time they had left. Thanks to Jenna's efforts she had managed to bide them a few more days, but Bentley was well aware that that could change at any given moment. So he set his sights on hacking into the computers for both the Contessa's estate and Neyla's headquarters to cut power or to place a small virus in the systems so the arachnid and tigress were forced to focus on something other than each other.

His eyes turned across the table where Murray was playing with his uneaten and slowly melting banana split, the hippo having lost his appetite after Sly was brought back to the safe house. He knew that, while his older friend wasn't showing it, he was hurting just as badly as Jenna was. The hippo glanced at him briefly and Bentley was able to see Murray's age suddenly. While Murray tended to act younger then himself and Sly, and at times more outwardly emotional, he had an immense amount of maturity when it came to his friends and Bentley had always suspected that it came from the hippo's background as a child and before he was placed in _Happy Campers Orphanage_.

"Hey, Bentley?" The reptile snapped out of his thoughts to glance at the hippo, who was now staring intently at him. "Do you really think Sly's gonna be okay?"

This had become the golden question among the group. Bentley turned his eyes over his shoulder to where Jenna was leaning at the foot of the raccoon's bed, her arms crossed and resting on the mattress and her head upon her folded arms. Her deep breathing signified that she had fallen asleep and for that the turtle was thankful. He turned his attention back to the hippo and sighed softly, "Sly's pulled through at worse times…thankfully Sam only managed to slightly tear at his skin, so it wasn't fatal per se. The wound itself wasn't all bad, but the amount of bleeding that he had done was more dangerous. It's going to take his body some time to fully recover. Honestly, out of that fight, if you want to compare wounds, Jenna's arm takes the cake."

Murray nodded slowly, his own eyes turning to the wolf's heavily bandaged left arm, "She's been having trouble with it."

"With what?"

The hippo turned his attention back to the reptile and frowned slightly, "Her arm…she has a hard time holding onto things. I noticed it yesterday when she was helping me with the van."

Bentley's brows furrowed from behind his large glasses and his mouth opened slightly. He had been so preoccupied with his formulas and prolonging the conflict that he hadn't noticed that the wolf had been putting more strain on herself than necessary. He stood and made his way to her left side and frowned down at the folded appendage, now more in view since she had removed her coat, to see that the bandage was slightly speckled with small blotches of red. Despite his mild annoyance with her for her lack of care in herself, he turned his eyes to the raccoon and sighed deeply before beginning to check his injuries. It was as Bentley was checking the raccoon's vitals (as Nathan and Jeremy taught him before vanishing with a small promise to be back), that Sly snorted, his eyes fluttering slightly.

"Sly?"

"Why do I feel like I was hit by a truck?"

Bentley almost cried in relief, instead he settled for laughing and patting his younger friend on his uninjured shoulder, "You technically were…his name was Samuel Alexander Sheppard."

"Geez…" The raccoon groaned, his hand immediately finding his side and rubbing it tenderly before stopping as his gaze fell upon the foot of the bed he was laying in. Bentley, following his eyes sighed softly.

"She's been running herself ragged…this is the first time in three days that she's managed to fall asleep." Sly turned his gaze to the reptile with a frown and his older friend knew how to read it immediately, "She blames herself for you getting hurt…don't be surprised if she avoids you once she realizes you're awake."

"Why would she do that?"

"It's just the way Jenna is," Bentley frowned as he stared down at the wolf's form, "a lot of it stems from her obviously abusive childhood…many who go through that know how to skillfully walk on eggshells because they don't know when or where the blow will come from next. I'm surprised she's as outspoken as she is, though…normally kids who go through that become distant and tentatively shy to an extreme."

"You can blame her father's personality for that."

Sly craned his neck to see that two wolves were standing in the doorway of the safe house and he observed them for the first time. Bentley frowned at the two wolves as they moved into the room, Nathan bowing his head in an attempt at being polite meanwhile Jeremy simply moved into the room and stared at the wolf, his eyes soon resting on her soiled bandages. He moved forward and reached for her arm, heedless of Bentley's startled warning, grabbing the smaller wolf's arm and invoking an extremely violent reaction from the female. She had woken as soon as his hand curled over the tender appendage and she snapped her jaw at his hand, standing so quickly she knocked the chair she had been sitting on backwards. Tension immediately descended upon the room and Nathan stepped forward.

"Jenna, he needs to check your arm…"

"The only thing he _needs_ to do is back off."

"Jenna!"

Jeremy snorted at the wolf, his eyes narrowing dangerously on her form automatically noting the dark circles under her eyes. "If she doesn't want help, I'm totally okay with that. It's not like she's ever asked before."

"Jeremy."

"What!? It's true!" Jeremy snapped as he turned on his older brother, "She was sheltered her whole life while we were out there disbanded and fighting for our survival." Jenna's fur immediately bristled at the accusation and she glared into the wolf's hazel eyes, however, this did little to stop the wolf's tirade. "She was left to live a normal life."

"You shouldn't speak about things you don't understand!"

"You'd defend her!?" Nathan frowned at his younger brother, however, their small argument was cut off when Jenna stepped forward and pushed Nathan away from Jeremy. She looked in between each of them with eyes narrowed before shaking her head. Turning away from the occupants of the room, the she-wolf paused as a bitter laugh passed her lips and she shook her head.

"You know…I had dreamed of the day that I would meet my real family," A sigh pushed passed her snout and she only offered them a look over her shoulder. "I just never thought it would be like this."

"How did you know?"

"So you actually confirm it…" She drew off with a deep frown, "Why did you hide it from me?"

Nathan frowned softly, stepping forward slowly as it was clear her mood had taken a complete one-eighty from the broken disbelief to complete anger. "I wasn't at liberty to say…"

"Oh, I see." Jenna snorted, her hazel green eyes nearly alight with flames, "I'm sure you can see your way out."

"We had a deal!" Jeremy snapped, pushing passed his brother and glaring down at the shorter wolf.

Jenna ignored Sly's outburst of "what deal!?" in favor of staring down the taller wolf. She noticed simply by looking at him that he was younger than her eighteen despite appearing and even acting as if he was much older and she estimated him to be between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. After observing him quickly she crossed her arms over her chest, "We most certainly did and I plan to honor that agreement. I can't just break into the Contessa's estate without first finding out what has become of the pup. Not only would it ruin the chances of freeing the incapacitated officer inside, but it would endanger his life so you're going to have to be patient."

"That's not good enough!"

"Jeremy," Nathan frowned as he held his brother's shoulder to prevent him from lunging at the expressionless wolf. He had to give her credit; for being an untrained assassin she was very good at keeping her emotions hidden from them, shaking these thoughts he sighed. He waited until his brother met his eyes before he spoke, "As much as I hate to say this, she is right. If we rush into the castle with it being as heavily armed and guarded, especially after the mishap with Samuel Sheppard's death, the results weigh against us." He then turned his gaze to the smaller wolf, "I would still like to know how you figured us out."

"You didn't exactly hide it from me. It was only after I told you the name of my father that you were willing to help me, that and the recognition that you expressed gave you away. Instead of just recognizing the name, you allowed a brief expression of grief to pass your eyes and the curling of your lip and tension in your shoulders had also confirmed that my father was not just someone you once knew, but expressed deep care for." She rattled off, her expression making her look unfeeling and had it not been for the flickering in her eyes, the occupants of the room would have believed her stoicism to be true.

"It was uncommon and especially for a skilled assassin such as yourselves, so the actual deduction was easy enough…it was just narrowing it down from there as well as taking our physical appearances into account. Now if you'll excuse me," She frowned as she turned once more, making her way towards the back of the safe house where a set of stairs was located that lead down into the garage. "I'm sure you both can find your way out," She called over her shoulder as she descended the stairs and disappeared leaving the main room of the safe house tense with raw and barely-contained emotion.

~_A Little While Later_~

When Murray entered the garage he frowned upon seeing his female teammate seated on the small counter of the work station that they had set up at the beginning of the heist. She stared unseeingly at the wall across from her, idly playing with, what the hippo recognized as, her necklace. After a moment of hesitation the hippo sighed and moved further into the room. He had been ecstatic and relieved that Sly was awake, but after witnessing the exchange between Jenna and her brothers, he was concerned. Again he hesitated, not sure if he should approach his female teammate. He was saved the decision when Jenna sighed heavily, addressing him without looking at him.

"Is Sly okay?"

The hippo ran a large hand over his head, a frown tugging at his lips as the wolf still did not turn her eyes to meet him, "He's awake and says he's okay."

"That's good," Jenna sighed softly to herself in relief before turning her eyes to the hippo and offering him a weak smile. "I'm sorry you and the gang had to witness that…"

Murray frowned softly, "Why did you turn them away?"

"Because they turned me away, Murray," Jenna replied with a deep scowl. "They had many opportunities to tell me who they were, but they didn't. So I'll return our youngest brother to their care and we'll be on our way. There's not much else to it," She shrugged before pushing herself off of the work bench and sighing heavily. "I assume we have to get this heist together now that Sly's up huh?"

Murray stared at the female wolf with a deep frown creasing his lips. Her willingness to change the subject didn't sit right with him, especially since he was an orphan. Jenna's family had come to her and she was pushing them away. He didn't understand it and he wanted to know, however, his account of her feelings stopped him from pursuing the subject; perhaps he would have to ask Bentley later. Despite his thoughts, he nodded in reply.

"Yep, Bentley says we have a few more days before we have to act. There hasn't been too much going on outside since Sam's death."

Jenna only nodded before sighing and looking around the garage before shaking her head. "You know," She began after a moment, "there was a time when I found comfort in working on cars and dancing…a time where things were normal. I don't know if those things can comfort me anymore."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," She frowned, "the assassin title hangs heavy on people, Murray." She answered before casting her eyes away from his after a brief moment of contact with his chocolate brown optics. After another moment of silence, Jenna shook her head once more, "I don't feel the same…like I'm someone completely different and that scares me…have you ever been scared of yourself Murray?"

"Nope! Never!"

When Jenna's face fell slightly, Murray realized that perhaps his answer had been too fast. The wolf offered him a forced smile before patting his arm and making his way towards the door leading back upstairs. Murray moved forward quickly and caught the wolf's shoulder before she got too far away.

"You know that you can talk to me…right Jenna?"

"Of course," She answered. "C'mon buddy, we've got a lot of work to do before the heist."

Murray watched as she ascended the stairs and disappeared. He frowned thoughtfully at her sudden reluctance to speak but blamed it on her sensitivity at the particular moment. It wasn't often that Jenna was moody or distanced with them (at least not since the very beginning of the Clockwerk hunt) and Murray wasn't necessarily sure how to react. She had voiced a deep fear of hers and he couldn't offer any advice to help ease her concerns. She was scared; scared of herself and what she could become if she continued on the path of the assassin and while Murray wasn't the best at speaking to people, he understood exactly what she had been trying to tell him and that scared him.

A few moments later, Bentley appeared in the doorway and offered the hippo a confused look from behind his large glasses and it was at that moment that Murray knew he was going to end up spilling his knowledge to his friend.

**-X-**

Jenna had spent most of her time on the roof of the safe house and patrolling the area and it was exactly where she found herself later that night. She thought about everything that had transpired between her and Murray and she frowned softly. It had not been her intention to let slip of her fear regarding the assassins and even about herself and how it would change her, but she had and she was acutely aware of his discomfort with the subject and she was also aware that he would more than likely share his concerns with Bentley. She only hoped that it wouldn't reach Sly's ears.

With a deep sigh she perched herself on the slant of one of the rooftops and spread her knees to balance her weight better on her toes. It had been a quiet night thus far and the she-wolf only hoped it would remain that way. Her peace was disturbed by the light pattering of footfalls nearing her rooftop and after a few moments she caught a whiff of foreign perfume and sighed deeply.

"So you've finally decided to come out of your hole."

Jenna allowed an amused smile to twitch at her lips, "I could say the same about you, you know. I'm surprised you didn't bring your little mercenaries with you…this _is _a rather opportune time to arrest me."

"As far as I'm concerned, you haven't committed any crimes."

The she-wolf knew she was treading into dangerous territory. For whatever reason, the tigress wanted something from her and she had to be careful with how it was brought about. Quirking a brow, her face fell back into a deadpanned expression.

"Since when have you been so willing to clear my name, Neyla?"

The tigress shuffled forward until she was standing parallel to the wolf, her eyes trained on the castle estate across the moat that Jenna's side of the roof conveniently faced. "I would think since you spared me…"

"I didn't spare you," Jenna clarified, "I could have easily ended this whole charade a while ago had I spared you. I chose not to kill you in hopes of you realizing the error of your ways. Instead you've only managed to move up the ranks of Interpol and throw an honest cop onto the refugee list. Not so smart if I do say so myself."

"No one asked for your opinion, Jenna."

Jenna's lips quirked in amusement at the statement, "I'm sure. So what, exactly, do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Neyla was quiet besides her, her face contorted into one of thought as she stared out into the night sky before a light smirk appeared at her lips. She turned and looked down at the squatted wolf to see that her lips had fallen into a scowl and her expression was nearly unreadable, save for the slight flickering of discontent in her eyes. "I'd like to offer you a deal," She stated after a moment.

"And what deal could you offer me that I'd be so willing to jump at?"

"Like you chose not to kill me in India, I'll allow you to escape this place with your life…I do plan on taking down the Contessa and, if it so works in my favor, the Cooper gang."

"There's a catch," Jenna scowled as she pushed herself up to stand evenly with the tigress, despite the height difference.

"Of course there's a catch _poodle_," Neyla smirked at the low growl that surfaced in Jenna's throat before continuing. "The catch is: you have to help me get to the Clockwerk Eyes."

"And what do _you_ want with the Clockwerk Eyes?" She inquired with a snort, "You said back in Paris that you want nothing to do with them."

"Well," Neyla smirked as she began to circle the wolf, "That's where you're sorely mistaken. I know someone who would pay a high price for the parts that the Cooper gang has already accumulated…as well as the Eyes. Not only will they _pay_ a hefty price for them, but they'll happily get you in contact with whomever you wish."

Jenna couldn't help the smirk that twitched at her lips, though Neyla had mistaken this gesture as one of agreement as a smirk twitched at her lips. As Neyla circled behind her, the wolf sighed and shook her head, a chuckle of amusement passing her lips. "How incredibly naïve of you…"

"What?"

Jenna couldn't stop her lips from sliding further apart, "You see, I've already gotten in contact with whom I wish: my brothers, of course." She clarified sweetly at the tigress's confused stare before her disposition dropped to a frigid level and she stepped closer to the dark haired female. "I can tell you this now, Neyla. Come up against me and challenge my loyalty to the Cooper gang…fine; but you so much as move one hair on any of their heads I will hunt you down and I will tear you limb for limb. Am I clear?" When Neyla only stared at her, the wolf snorted and leveled her with an icy glare, "Negotiations complete. Now get out."

"I will not forget this, Jenna."

"Neither will I."

The tigress shot her one final glare before disappearing behind the buildings and moving back to her headquarters. As Jenna turned around she noticed Sly staring directly at her rooftop and she knew he had seen everything that had transpired, especially as he turned and moved away from the window. She knew then that her relationship with the gang was going to be more stressed than ever and especially with Sly as she knew he would not think lightly of her midnight conversation with their enemy. Running a hand down the side of her face she lowered herself back down to the roof and decided that her best bet was to sleep outside that night.

**-X-**

Three days later, Sly was deemed well enough to complete the heist and so each member of the Cooper gang was in position for their jobs. Jenna's job was the touchiest out of the four of them as she had to break into the castle estate and find the youngest brother of Nathan and Jeremy and ultimately her younger brother. Tensions had been running high between the wolf and raccoon since the night Neyla had paid the wolf a visit and Jenna had done nothing to clarify what the raccoon had seen only supplying him with "you should trust me and not jump to conclusions".

Scratching behind her ear, Jenna sighed heavily as she waited for the signal to move. She had snuck into the Contessa's castle estate only moments ago from a conveniently opened window that had led her into an abandoned hallway – or seemingly abandoned hallway…at least until a few minutes before as the guard's fallen foot stuck out from behind the alcove that Jenna had dragged him into – along the northern side of the re-education tower. It was only a few moments before an explosion wracked the upper half of the tower and Jenna grabbed onto the wall to steady herself as the structure shook before leveling out. Immediately her hand went to her ear where her earbud was located and pressed in to activate the mic.

"Guys are you okay?"

There was no response for a moment before she had to throw herself off to the side as the Contessa came careening down the hallway with a none-too-happy Carmelita on her tail. Thankfully both females hadn't noticed her and had raced by and she heaved a sigh of relief for her good fortune. After another heartbeat of silence, Jenna heard Sly's voice crack to life in her mic, though it was faint expressing that it had probably been either damaged or had come partially out of his ear.

"_Bentley? You okay!?_"

"_This is no place for an asthmatic_," Bentley coughed into his mic before heaving a deep sigh and Jenna could see him brushing the smoke away from his face. "_But, I've managed to locate one of the Clockwerk Eyes! Can you find the other?_"

"_**No worries, chaps. It's safely in hand**_."

"_Neyla!?_"

Jenna pressed harder on her earpiece in hopes of hearing the conversation better.

"_**Thanks for clearing out the Contessa. Nothing I did could pry her away from the Clockwerk Eyes. Hmm… one should be enough for the old bird… Ta ta**_!"

"_Bentley take the Eye and escape on the blimp; I'm going after Neyla_!"

"_But – the plan! It…this wasn't in the plan_!" The turtle sputtered in surprise and the wolf couldn't blame him. This was the furthest thing from the plan and Jenna knew that if they deviated too far off their chances of success were limited.

"Sly, what're you doing?!"

"_Just because you want to help her instead of us, doesn't mean that I'm gonna just let her waltz out of here with the Clockwerk part!_"

Jenna rolled her eyes, "Bite me, Cooper."

"_Don't plan on it_."

The wolf disconnected her piece and moved into another hallway, just missing the tigress and raccoon as they raced by. Jenna was aware that she had to find the pup before things got too out of hand, especially since her threat to Neyla would turn into a promise and forsake her. An irritable sigh passed her nose as she moved through the hallways in search of her quarry. After a few moments she paused, her footsteps echoing loudly in the quiet hallway that led down to what looked like a medieval prison. With eyes narrowed in suspicion, Jenna moved forward cautiously. It was far too quiet for something that should have at least had some guards.

Just as she went to turn down another row of cells she had to retract backwards as something flew at her. With a furrowed brow, the wolf reached to her belt and quickly unlatched her whip chain. Suddenly loud laughter echoed throughout the halls and she cringed, the fur on the back of her neck standing straight at the sound, her ears pressed firmly to her head before her left ear swiveled to catch any other sounds. After a minute of nothing, the wolf peeked down the hallway before moving slowly. She heard slight scuffling behind her and spun just in time to block a strike that was aimed for her head and she spun once more, jumping away from her attacker in hopes of putting distance between her and the figure.

_Just my luck_! The wolf thought to herself as she moved as fluidly as possible away from her attacker. She vaguely recalled the movements of her attacker as being a cross between Sam's style of fighting as well as hers, but her thought was immediately cast aside as she found an opening and shot forward towards the figure's side and sweeping his legs from underneath him. She didn't wait to see what her results had been before racing down the hallway as quickly as she could, her eyes passing each cell for the pup. As she slid down another corridor, she noticed a lone figure in the cell second from the last and she made quick work of sprinting down towards the cell.

Inside she recalled the image of the little boy and sighed in relief before remembering the other figure stalking the prison for her. She cringed as she heard something clanging against the bars, almost as if her attacker was intentionally trying to psyche her out. After a moment of hearing the banging she frowned, hearing silence before a voice boomed throughout the prison.

"You can't run forever little one…" A deep voice growled in amusement, "I will find you and you will not escape from here."

The wolf ignored the threat and quickly moved to begin picking the lock to the boy's cell. As she fumbled with her lock picks she noticed the little boy begin to wake up and he frowned at her in suspicion.

"Who're you?" He questioned firmly, sounding much more confident than he looked. Jenna briefly looked up before returning her attention to the lock as the banging sounded in the distance. She had noticed that the pup had tensed when he heard the bangs and immediately Jenna concluded that this had been planned. Finally she decided to answer him as she found the correct pick.

"I'm a friend of your brothers," She answered quickly, pulling her necklace out of her shirt for the pup to inspect. He moved forward slowly before taking it in between the bars, careful not to tug too hard as it was still attached to her neck. "I'm a brother of the Auteri."

"You're no friend then." The pup snarled as he backed away, backing further when Jenna managed to break the lock and open the door. "That other guy is one too and he works for the Contessa!"

Jenna's brows furrowed tightly before wracking her brain in search of proof of her loyalty before remembering the pager that Nathan had handed her only a week or so ago. Reaching into her pocket she tossed him the device before turning her head to listen for the other occupant of the prison, now known as an Auteri, though Jenna still doubted the possibility. After a moment she addressed him, "What's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Jenna rolled her eyes, "Your spirit would be admired if this was a different situation. Unless you don't want to get out of here, I'd share your name."

"Dakota," The boy growled after a moment, clearly frustrated with the older she-wolf.

"Good," She nodded, "I'm Jenna. Now what do ya say about getting out of here?" When the pup nodded his consent, Jenna turned her eyes to him so she could inspect him quickly. "Are you going to be able to run?"

"I can try," Dakota frowned as he gestured to the poorly wrapped cut on his leg. "Are you gonna take me back to my brothers?"

Jenna nodded, "That's the idea. But we might want to walk and talk…no telling when that guy is gonna come down this way."

The pup nodded before following after the taller she-wolf and frowning up at her. He had noticed her similarity to his brothers, but decided not to press the moody female as she moved along the halls like a snake. She checked every corner before turning down it, Dakota in tow. When the banging began once more, Jenna jumped and scooped Dakota up into her arms before taking off at a sprint through the hallways. She knew she had to find the door leading back into the re-education tower and after a few moments she saw it as well as a very pleased looking cloaked figure.

"I was curious to see how long it would take you to find the exit," The figure laughed giving way that it was distinctly male and she frowned. "I should have expected more from the daughter of the Auteri…pitiful how our name has truly fallen isn't it."

The she-wolf snorted, "Sure, because playing warden is exactly what we should be used for…especially for a little boy. You're a disgrace to the brotherhood."

The figure only laughed louder, clearly amused. "Because a cast-out daughter would know about the brotherhood…You've got spice to you kid, I'll give you that." He sighed before crossing his arms, "Consider this your warning Jenna Aleu Auteri..." The figure then pointed at her, "You're going to have to face the facts of being an assassin sooner or later and you're going to find that the ones you consider your friends will cast you out. Mark me."

Jenna snorted in disbelief, "I'll believe that when I see it."

The figure only turned from her and disappeared out of the exit. With a frown, the she-wolf looked at the boy in her arms before moving forward cautiously. She had been anticipating a fight, but had only gotten more fuel to add to her jumbled thoughts regarding her path. Sighing irritably, she shifted the boy in her arms and quickly made her way out of the prison and towards the exit. She only hoped that Sly, Murray and Bentley were okay.

* * *

Ouch...Sly and Jenna are a little bitter towards each other aren't they? And what's with that figure?

More and more questions ;) lol

Anyway as always your reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update!

I'm hoping to have the next one out soon!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


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